Usagi Tales
by maple the wacky tree
Summary: 50 themes challenge for momijiXtohru. rated T to be safe. New chapter up! Sword and Shield: "You're perfect," Momiji told her. "I love you. I love you so much . . . Oh god." He was losing it. Tears were starting to form in his eyes. How did she manage this? How could one small person sway his emotions so easily?
1. Seven Deadly Sins

**A/N:** a little ooc? not too sure, but i thought it was cute anyway. i simply _had_ to do something in honor of valentine's day.

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**34# Seven Deadly Sins**

"You know, gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins," Momiji remarked as he popped yet another chocolate in his mouth. His stomach protested feebly as it stretched against his belt painfully.

"And you would know, I'm sure," Tohru teased.

Momiji threw his hands up in the air helplessly. "Can I help it if all of the women in our grade are lusting after me? What am I supposed to do with all of this Valentine's Day chocolate?"

Tohru laughed again, and the sound of it made Momiji smile softly.

They were lounging comfortably on the sofa at Shigure's place. The television was on, just a few levels above mute, but Momiji and Tohru were paying it no mind. Heart-shaped boxes were strewn all over the place, some half-empty. Tohru was helping Momiji with his chocolates this year. The fangirl attacks had increased dramatically as of late, especially ever since he had hit that growth spurt. Momiji vaguely wondered what Tohru thought about all of these girls fawning over him.

"Well, I certainly don't want you to be a glutton," Tohru said lightly. "Maybe I should save you by becoming greedy and stealing all the chocolates for myself?"

"Tohru? Greedy? No," Momiji mock-gasped. He gave a big stretch and then collapsed backwards, resting his head in her lap. It was a good thing Yuki and Kyo weren't around. He probably would have been punched by now.

Tohru blinked at him and said, in complete, if not rather bemused, honesty, "Well, if it helps a friend . . ."

Momiji snickered at that and snuggled a little closer. Really, Tohru was just too kind-hearted. She would even sacrifice her own integrity in order to help others. People like that didn't appear too often.

Momiji snagged another box and offered it to Tohru. Smiling, she picked out a chocolate and took a bite. Momiji found it hard not to get distracted by the movement of her lips. But then Tohru made a face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

With great effort, Tohru swallowed. "It's coconut," she said with a grimace.

"What are you talking about? Coconut is one of the best flavors!" Momiji exclaimed, seizing the other half of the chocolate and popping it in his mouth without another word. As the deliciousness melted on his tongue, a naggy voice kept reminding him that that piece of chocolate had touched Tohru's lips, the ones that were so utterly distracting, especially when there was a small smudge of chocolate in the corner.

Momiji decided not to tell her about that little fact just yet; it was rather amusing. He shuffled the chocolates around in the box until he found a particular piece. "Here, that's a raspberry filling one. I know you like them," he said, holding it out.

Tohru cocked her head and raised her eyebrows quizzically. "How can you tell? They all look the same to me."

"Just trust me," Momiji stated, holding it closer.

Tohru hesitated before opening her mouth, and Momiji fed her the chocolate. Instantly, Tohru's expression melted in delight. Momiji chuckled. He knew he had been right.

That smudge of chocolate was still there . . .

Momiji sat up a little, staring at her. Tohru noticed and asked, "What is it, Momiji-kun? Do I have something on my face?"

Momiji frowned. Most likely, he would have to face the wrath of Kyo or Yuki for what he had done when they found out. But at the moment, Momiji almost didn't care. His chest was fluttering excitedly, almost daring the other two boys telepathically. Let them be jealous. Let them be envious. Not even they could alter what had already passed.

"Momiji?" Tohru asked one last time, and he could see the way her eyes widened at how close they were, he could feel the warm caress of her quickening breaths against his cheeks.

He kissed her. The taste of all of the various chocolates blended together in a flavor so heavenly it was all that Momiji could do not to get too rough or embrace Tohru tightly. That would ruin it. So he kept it relatively chaste, and when he felt the last of his self-control slipping, he firmly grabbed Tohru's shoulders and pushed her away.

"There. It's all gone now," Momiji said quietly, lowering his eyes.

It seemed the fangirls weren't the only ones committing the sin of lust.


	2. Cinnamon

**A/N:** If you ask me, this shipping doesn't get near enough love. So for the love of all things tohruXmomiji, I'm gonna do a series of oneshots and drabbles for a 50-theme challenge. Because who can resist a cute bunny? ^^ Natsuki Takaya made a mistake, I'm telling you!!

Btw, in this particular chapter, it takes place when Momiji is "all grown up" and is taller than Tohru. But it's probably not before his curse was removed. Just for time-frame purposes.

Ack! Cliched fluff! Who the heck likes that? (besides rabid fangirls . . . and myself) The chapters won't all be so predictable, I swear.

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**1# Cinnamon**

After walking down the stairs, Kyo stopped in his tracks at the sight of all the blankets and pillows strewn about the living.

"What the hell?! Don't you guys ever go home?!" Kyo exclaimed angrily.

Kisa flinched slightly and lowered her head, which made Hiro shift in front of her protectively, but Momiji ignored the orange-haired teen for a moment. "Ne, ne, Tohru!" he called. "Kyo-chan's finally awake!"

"Hai!" Tohru answered from within the kitchen.

"Oi, you guys still haven't explained what you're all doing here at 8:00 AM!" Kyo growled.

Momiji frowned at him, as if it were incredibly obvious. "We had a Mogeta marathon last night, and by the time we finished all of them it was too late. So we decided to have a slumber party! You probably didn't hear us because it was raining really bad and you slept like a baby the entire time."

Kyo sighed, and his shoulders sagged. "Why do I get the feeling I'm being mad fun of?" he mumbled to himself.

"Because you are," Momiji replied, sticking out his tongue.

Before Kyo could launch himself at Momiji and beat him senseless, Tohru hurried out of the kitchen. "U-um, wait everyone!" she stammered nervously. "Uh, um, oh that's right! I'm making pancakes! Pancakes! If you would please, tell me what flavor pancakes you would like."

Kisa looked shyly at Hiro, who immediately stated, "We'll have blueberry."

"Chocolate chip for me!" Momiji cried enthusiastically.

"Alright," Tohru laughed. "I guess I'll have chocolate chip too. So four blueberry and four chocolate chip?" She hesitated and then looked over to Kyo. "Kyo-kun, what would you—?"

"Ngg," Kyo grunted, walking off. He didn't feel like dealing with the noise so early in the morning. Momiji caught the way Tohru's face fell ever so slightly. To drive away the sudden gloom to the mood, Momiji jumped to his feet and skipped over to Tohru's side. "I'll help Tohru make the pancakes!" he exclaimed.

"Thanks Momiji-kun," Tohru said with a giggle.

They went into the kitchen together. Kisa and Hiro's blueberry pancakes were made in no time. When they started to make the chocolate chip ones, Tohru suddenly remembered, "Oh yeah, I'll need cinnamon too."

"Ehh?" Momiji said, waggling his eyebrows at her in amusement. "You put cinnamon in your chocolate chip pancakes? That's a little . . . unusual."

"Oh no," Tohru explained cheerfully. "It's just that Kyo-kun likes plain, cinnamon pancakes. He doesn't even put syrup on it. I figured I should make him a couple, just in case he gets hungry later."

Momiji grew quiet after she mentioned Kyo's name. Tohru, completely oblivious, started to hum a tune as she slid the chocolate chip pancakes onto two plates, and Momiji watched every single move she made, his chest feeling heavy. After she poured the final batch of pancake batter into the frying pan, Tohru glanced around, a finger on her chin. "Hmm, now where did I put the cinnamon last? Ah, it's up here!" Tohru said, looking at the cabinet above her. She opened it and stood on her tiptoes, reaching with all her might for the elusive bottle of cinnamon. But then she felt someone step up right behind her. A hand brushed past hers and grabbed the bottle with complete ease. Tohru froze for a moment before looking up at Momiji, who looked down at her. They stared at each other for a while, neither moving away. But then, almost in unison, they both took a whiff of the air.

"AHHH! The pancakes!" Tohru cried, hurriedly flipping them over.

Momiji finally slipped away from her and leaned against the counter, wearing a slight smug smile. But he wasn't going to apologize. What did he care if Kyo's precious cinnamon pancakes were a little burnt?


	3. Dry Your Tears

**A/N:** Takes place when Tohru is looking for Kureno at the main house and runs into Momiji, but not before meeting his little sister. It's not the most upbeat thing in the world but hey, even momiji is capable of some seriousness every now and then.

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**30# Dry Your Tears**

Overall, Momiji didn't mind the curse as much as some of the others. He was able to get over his mother abandoning him. He could endure Akito's rather unjustified hatred of him. He was fine with constantly having to keep a watch when in crowded areas. It was just in his disposition to accept things and then find the brighter side of his situation.

It was only at moments at this when he despised the curse with every fiber of his being.

There she was. Collapsed onto her knees, her face in her hands. Through her fingers, he could see the glint of tears. The sight of them was made all the more painful when he realized that they were for his own sake, not for herself. It seemed that she always cried for anyone but herself. Momiji longed to sweep her up in his arms and kiss her until her tears ran dry. He wanted to hold her tight enough to prevent her from shaking so much. But no. Such an act was impossible. Such was his fate.

So he consented himself to kneeling beside her and brushings his hands against hers. He touched his forehead to hers and sighed out softly. "But it's fine. And it's all because I have someone to cry for me," Momiji whispered as Tohru continued to sob.


	4. Lyrics

**A/N:** And just where are they going, you may ask? Oh please don't ask, bc even I don't know. I'm just writing what pops in my head. And you must, must, MUST check out the song that they're listening to. My crush showed it to me, and even though we're not going out or anything like that, we always call it "our song." Squee! But it really is beautiful. I'm a music addict, but I must say that this song has affected me more than almost any other piece of music. We might even do a duet to it, my crush and I. (yes, we both dance. got a problem? because when was the last time you could do partnerwork and extremely exhilerating lifts with the one you really, really liked? yeah, didn't think so . . . srry, just had to put that rant out there. not everyone appreciates the worth of male dancers . . . who are not all gay by the way.)

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**#26 Lyrics**

They were waiting on the train. Just her and him. As casual and comfortable as could be, with their legs swinging energetically from the bench.

"It's taken a lot longer than usual, ne Tohru-chan?" Momiji remarked after a while. He turned thoughtful as his tapped his chin. "You don't suppose there's been a wreck?"

"EHHH!" Tohru gasped, her eyes double their size. "Oh no! That would be dreadful! What shall we do?!"

Momiji laughed and shook his head. "Calm down, Tohru. I was only kidding."

"Oh."

A silence descended on them for a while. But it wasn't an awkward one. It was never an awkward one. Tohru closed her eyes with a smile, feeling as though, even if the train were horribly late, she wouldn't mind all that much.

She heard Momiji ruffling through something. She reopened her eyes and peeked over curiously to see Momiji pull out a long, silver thing from his bunny backpack. "I got a new ipod recently!" Momiji sank as he bounced with childish pleasure.

Tohru smiled and looked away. "That's nice."

Momiji stuck one of the earplugs in his ear before offering one to Tohru. "It'll make the time pass by faster," he explained.

"Oh! Thank you very much," Tohru said humbly before sticking it in her ear. Almost unconsciously, the two shifted a little closer and bent their heads near the others as they stared at the ipod's screen. Momiji quickly chose a song and then leaned back against the bench, his eyes closed in contentment.

A sweet, beautiful song spilled out into Tohru's left ear. Every word seemed to be packed with emotion, and the melody painted a stunning paradise behind her eyelids. The harmony of the male and female singer was almost like a dance, one that she found her heart joining in. It took her a while to realize that she was swaying slightly to the song. "Momiji-kun!" Tohru gasped after a while. "What's the name of this song?"

Momiji opened one eye. His lips twisted into a childish, lopsided grin. "You like it? It's called 'Garden of Everything' by Steve Conte." He closed his eyes again, still smiling somewhat triumphantly. "Somehow I knew you would like it. The minute I heard it, I just thought 'Tohru!' and I knew it was your kind of music."

Even though it was rather long for a song, it seemed to be over all too soon. Tohru didn't say anything, but Momiji caught the appearance of a small frown on her face. With a chuckle, he played it back again. And again. And again.

And pretty soon they knew the lyrics by heart.

And pretty soon it seemed that it was permanently stuck in their heads.

And pretty soon they made it a habit to start softly singing the song whenever they saw each other in the hallways, which always earned them weird stares from others but they didn't care because the other couldn't understand. Couldn't comprehend how it felt for Tohru and Momiji to always whisper their favorite part about the "eyes of pure, deep azure, quite unbelievable."

And pretty soon, Tohru found that she was always calling it "their song."


	5. Can't Deny It

**24# Can't Deny It**

He shouldn't have answered it. He _really_ shouldn't have answered it. Oh why, oh why in hell did he answer it?

Maybe it made him feel somewhat sneaky. After all, Momiji was in the middle of a jewelry store, browsing for something to give Tohru for her birthday, which was coming up in about a week. To talk and laugh with her on the phone while examining a rather pretty necklace (simple, silver, and pretty, just like Tohru. it even included her birthstone in a heart shaped cut), felt devious and mischievous. As if Momiji held a very big secret or something.

But then, she asked the one question Momiji had always hated.

"Who do you like, Momiji-kun?"

Momiji froze, and the rack of bracelets in front of his nose slowly faded from existence. His silence seemed to make Tohru uncomfortable. He could hear her fidgeting in the background.

"Please excuse me for asking something so abruptly and out of the blue," Tohru stated in a breathless rush. She seemed nervous. Antsy. Momiji could almost picture her bowing in apology, which brought a humorless smile to his face. He knew her too well. "It's just that, recently Haru said a few things and I'm . . ." Tohru trailed off for a moment. "If it's not too much to ask, could you tell me? I want to make sure I don't misunderstand."

Misunderstand?

A very bad feeling knotted painfully in his stomach as Momiji wandered blindly around the store. Suddenly, he wondered why the heck he had ever stumbled inside the shop. Boys like him didn't belong here.

"I'm not sure . . . if I can tell you that," Momiji replied hesitantly. He just prayed that she wouldn't pry further. Please just don't ask any more questions. He really didn't know if he could lie to her.

"I'm sorry," Tohru repeated. But unfortunately, she wasn't done yet. "Is she a member of the zodiac?"

Momiji let out a short, hollow laugh. "No, no of course not. She's not even a Sohma."

"Then does she go to our school?"

His hand clenched into a fist. "Yes."

"So she's in your class?"

His fist was so tight that he could feel his nails digging into his skin. "No."

Tohru was quiet for a very long time. Momiji let out a sigh of relief. He realized that his feet had carried him to the other end of the store, where there was a display of rings under a glass counter. One in particular caught his eye, and he was just about to ask for the price when—

"Do you like me?" Tohru blurted out.

Momiji ran a hand through his hair and shut his eyes tightly. He couldn't lie. How could he lie to such a delicate, tiny voice such as that? "I can't . . . deny it," he finally said, his body suddenly feeling cold. And with that, his feelings were finally out in the open.

There was no response.

No wait. Momiji thought he could hear the faint sound of sobbing on the other end. And then, "I'm sorry," Tohru whispered. "I'm so sorry. But I—"

Momiji hung up. That was probably the first time he had ever done something so rude to Tohru. But he knew he wouldn't have been able to stand it any longer. He snapped his cell phone shut and shoved it deep into his pants pocket, never wanting to see it ever again.

"Sir, is there anything else you wish to see?" the clerk asked with stuffy politeness.

"No," Momiji told him tersely. After all, there was no point to buying jewelry to an unrequited love, especially when you had secretly planned to use the gift to reveal your feelings about said love.

Momiji stalked out, his head down. The energetic, bouncing bunny that had just momentarily entered the jewelry shop with big dreams and goals was no more. He had been transformed with just a single phone call, and then left a lonely old man. _And yet, she never rejected me with a simple no,_ he thought to himself, feeling bitter and hollow. _Instead she said "I'm sorry."_ Momiji smiled brokenly at nothing in particular. _Tell me how that's even fair?_

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**A/N: **noooo! momiji!!! i'm so evil! T-T to make it up to you, i guess i should make the next one extremely fluffy, ne?

i've always hated that question. especially bc it's always guys that are asking me. i mean, jeez! is that supposed to mean something?! ahhh, i don't know. but unlike momiji, i'm very good at lying. ^^


	6. Private Stash

**A/N:** pocky=love!!

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**44# Private Stash**

Tohru yelped as her player fell into the water for the hundredth time.

"You really suck at this, Tohru!" Momiji sang as he chuckled and maneuvered into first place.

"Hang in there, Peach!" Tohru cried in distress, forgetting that the character's life wasn't actually in danger. It just took a few seconds to appear back on screen.

They were playing Mario Karts in Momiji's room. He had even pulled out his special Pocky stash of various flavors for the occasion. Neither mentioned that Tohru had had to sneak in to be able to see him, or that she only ever visited him here when she was stressed and depressed about the Sohma curse. Momiji wasn't going to allow for her sadness.

Hence the Pocky boxes strewn all over the room.

Momiji's player, Yoshi, would have had a comfortable lead, if not for that bothersome Donky Kong. The computer character kept ramming into Momiji so that he might share the same fate as Tohru. But then Momiji successful veered right in front of the player just before releasing a banana. Donky Kong whirled off screen and into a patch of sand that was hard to drive through.

"Ah ha! Victory is mine!" Momiji cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

"How are you so very good at this?' Tohru asked meekly as she finally got Peach back on the road.

"Boredom is key!" Momiji explained as he reached for another Pocky. But his fingers met nothing. Sticking his tongue out and trying to steer with only one hand, he reached a little further. And when that didn't work he paused the game and grabbed the box, tilting it upside-down. "Aww, all of the strawberry Pockies are gone!" Momiji complained as he un-paused the game. "Those were my favorite flavor too!"

"Mmm?" Tohru said, staring at the screen in concentration, and Momiji noticed the pink Pocky sticking out of her mouth.

"You!" Momiji gasped, with a dramatic pointing added in for effect. "You're the one who ate the last strawberry Pocky!"

"Huh?" Tohru said, managing to tear her eyes away from the screen for a second.

"Punishment!" Momiji cried as he tackled her. Tohru cried out in surprise and her game controller went tumbling out from her hand. She was pinned underneath on the rather small couch. Her eyes went wide and she blinked at Momiji in confusion. Momiji grinned mischievously before biting off half of the Pocky in her mouth, his lips dangerously close to her own. Then he straightened up and, with a full mouth, stated in matter-of-factness, "My Pocky."

Neither mentioned that Tohru never quite was able to continue playing after that, or that her face was a fierce pink the color of Peach's dress as she gaped at Momiji. Actually, Momiji was rather proud of that rich hue staining her cheeks. He would take every single victory he could get.

Hence the Pockies.


	7. What was that For?

**A/N: **This chapter kinda goes along with "24# Can't Deny it." Just so you know.

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**4# What was that For?**

"Hnn? What's this?" Haru remarked as he paused from cleaning the chalkboard. "_Someone _seems unusually somber this morning."

Momiji was looking out the window, leaning against the broom he held. Outside, he could see a beautiful day shining down on the school entrance as students began their long walk home with groups of laughing friends.

Haru finished up the board and walked over, his hands shoved in his pockets. Almost immediately he recognized the point of Momiji's focus. Tohru and her friends were chatting just below them, blissfully unaware of being watched. When Tohru opened her mouth wide to laugh, Haru noticed that Momiji's mouth twitched upward into a smile ever so slightly.

Haru turned his back on the scene and went to sit on a desk. "So you're not going to give up?" he asked with a sigh.

Momiji didn't respond right away. Kyo and Yuki had joined the group. He watched as Kyo nearly attacked Uotani—she must have made a comment about his hair again or something—and Tohru hovered worriedly between them. "Who would give up?" he slowly murmured at last, never tearing his eyes from Tohru's face when Yuki whacked Kyo in the head and got him to chill. Then they all laughed it off as Kyo simmered in anger.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around Momiji's neck, and Momiji was locked in a rather painful noogie by Haru. "Ow, ow, ow! What was that for?" Momiji complained, jerking himself free.

"I'm sorry. You looked so sad and cute when you said that. I couldn't resist," Haru replied in his usual deadpan as Momiji tried to smooth out his ruffled hair.

"Jeez," Momiji pouted, acting more like himself as he wagged his index finger. "Must I remind you that it was partially your fault?"

Haru stared at him. Then his eyes drifted away, almost as if in guilt, even though his face still bore no emotion. "Is that a new globe over there? I wonder if Antarctica is still on the map. It's just a big iceberg after all."

And his remark was so bizarre that Momiji couldn't help but laugh. "You're so impossible, Haru," he said.

Haru flashed a small smile. Satisfied, he walked away with a wave of the hand. "I'm done with my half of the chores. You want me to wait on you?"

"Nah, you go on ahead. You might be able to catch the others if you leave now." Momiji looked down at the broom in his hand and resumed sweeping the floor. "I think I'd like some time to think alone."

"Nggg," was all Haru said in response as he walked out. But not even a minute had passed before his head popped back in the doorway. "By the way Momiji," he said flatly. "It's not over yet. Nothing's been determined."

"I know that," Momiji said, managing to assemble a broken smile on his face. "I know."


	8. Reaching

**A/N: **Phew! Sorry for the absence guys. It feels as though I've just run all up and down through my life. Through drama and rock concerts and blossoming love and school, I think I nearly experienced it all in just a short few days. And now I'm extremely tired. Sigh. But I decided to make it up by posting a chapter before I crashed. I just wish that I could have dished out something more amazing for everyone. Oh well, my mind needs a break. This is what you get when my imagination tank is running on empty due to utter exhaustion.

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**Reaching 18#**

The cell phone was ringing. Tohru, as she was slipping on her pajama top, peered at it curiously. She recognized the ringtone . . . but wasn't it very late at night?

She fumbled for it quickly and answered it. "Momiji?" she asked worriedly.

"Look up."

Tohru jerked back in surprise. "H-huh?"

"Look up!" Momiji repeated.

Somewhat stupidly, Tohru looked up at her ceiling. It was a perfectly fine ceiling, as far as she was concerned. There weren't even any cobwebs.

"At the sky, Tohru! The sky!" the boy laughed merrily. He could sense her confusion even through her silence.

"Ah, okay!" Tohru replied. She crawled onto her bed and opened the blinds to her window. Almost immediately, a sigh escaped her lips.

"You see it?"

"Yes," Tohru said softly, her face so close to the glass that the tip of her nose touched it, and her breath fogged up the window. Outside, the full moon was bigger than ever, it seemed, but that wasn't all. Every few seconds a star would sail by, racing to kiss the earth. "I've never seen a shooting star before."

"Me neither."

"Where are you?" Tohru asked curiously after a while.

"Taking a walk around the Sohma estate," Momiji explained. "I felt the need for a walk to clear my head. Too much has been going on. I needed to get back to my energetic self. And then I saw the sky!"

Tohru sat back down on her bed, frowning. "What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Mmm, not really. I can't really tell you."

"Oh . . ." Tohru trailed off in silence before pressing a little further. "Forgive me for being so rudely persistent, but you really can tell me about anything. I'll listen." Her breath caught a little in her throat as she ducked her head and slowly whispered, "I don't want you to be sad."

"I really can't, Tohru. Not because I don't trust you, but because . . ." Momiji paused before sighing, "I don't really . . . want you to see . . . _that_ part of me." Then his voice brightened. "Besides, this view really cheered me up. And just talking to you always makes me feel better."

Tohru blushed a little, but made no comment as she slipped under her covers. Neither said anything, but Momiji started to hum a little as he walked down the sidewalks, a little bounce to his step. Tohru instantly recognized it as "their song," and it brought a smile to her face. She closed her eyes and snuggled up close to her pillow as Momiji playfully asked if she wanted him to catch a falling star for her. What she wouldn't know was that he actually lifted a hand and stretched out to the sky, as if he really meant it what he said. He _would_ catch a star, if it was for her.

"Cell phones are amazing, aren't they Tohru?" he said after a moment, his hand still reaching for the sparkling lines of light.

"You're right," Tohru agreed, her eyes still closed. Shigure had only just recently given her so that she could have a phone on her when walking home from work. It took her forever to figure it out, but once Momiji showed her some pointers, the phone turned out to be very handy.

"I mean, even though we're so far apart, it sounds like you're right beside me," Momiji continued cheerfully.

Tohru blushed even more heavily. For a split second, she had imagined Momiji in the bed with her. Not doing anything improper, of course. But she could have sworn she felt his warm arms wrapping around her waist as he whispered in her ear, and it felt so real that Tohru jerked up with a start and looked behind her.

No, no one was there.

Tohru placed a hand over her racing heart, staring at the empty space in her bed. Then she realized that she had dropped her phone. She could hear Momiji's muffled voice asking to see if she was still there. "S-sorry," she stammered in apology. She even bowed her head a couple of times. "For a moment I thought somewhere was there. But they aren't. What were you saying, again?"

And they continued to talk about various things, just for the sake of hearing the other's voice. Tohru made sure to angle herself on the bed so that she always had a glimpse of the shooting stars. And Momiji walked on past the lonely streetlights. More than once, he thought he felt her warmth by his side and had to resist the urge to put an arm around empty air.

For but a moment, they felt connected.


	9. Lost

**A/N:** Ahhh, here we go. THIS ought to make it up to Momiji for the intense heart pain a few chapters ago. Readers enjoy. And do please remember. Computers don't do too well with drool. ;P

And this takes place way, WAY in the future. Just for the record.

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**15# Lost**

Before, if Momiji had been told that you could get lost in your own bed, he would have laughed out loud.

Now he wasn't so sure . . .

On top of the disarray that he once called his bed, he and Tohru lay, shoulder to shoulder, staring at the ceiling. Her legs were lazily tangled up in his, and the blissful quiet was only broken by their slow, deep breathing. They were separated—for the moment—save for their hands at their sides, which were loosely intertwined. Even just that contact though, Momiji privately thought, was enough to cause his chest to swell with happiness.

At one point, Momiji heard Tohru let out a particularly loud sigh. A perplexed sound. Curiously, he lifted his head and rolled onto his side. "What's wrong?"

Tohru continued to stare at the ceiling, the faintest outline of a frown on her delicate lips. Momiji gently brushed his fingers against her cheek, and Tohru shyly rolled over to face him as well. She was blushing yet again, Momiji noticed with a flicker of pride. He loved being able to have that effect on her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized abruptly. "I'm still having a hard time getting used to it all." She gave his hand a squeeze, to demonstrate what she was talking about. "It feels too much like a dream."

"If it's a dream, then I want to take a week's worth of sleeping pills so that I never wake up," Momiji replied with a slight groan. He playfully grabbed Tohru, laughing when she laughed, and he rolled over again. She was on top, a position that vaguely embarrassed her. But then she snuggled her face into his shirt coyly. She inhaled the scent of his cologne with relish. He could tell by the way he felt her chest rise against his. It was the picture of contentment.

Momiji twirled a lock of Tohru's hair around his finger before flashing her a weak, but still crooked smile. A Momiji smile. "Hey, I'm still getting used to it too," he admitted quietly. Then he whispered mischievously in her ear, "Where did we leave off again?"

Tohru drew in her breath sharply as Momiji rolled one more time, pinning her underneath him. She stiffened in surprise, but only for a moment. As soon as his lips met hers, he could feel Tohru melting underneath him. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him a little closer, and as his body pressed against hers, he thanked the Lord for what seemed like the hundredth time just that _day_ that he no longer had to worry about the curse. No, these days all he had to worry about was when to find the time to breathe.

It was unbelievable how much he loved that woman.


	10. Reunion

**A/N:** Ah, the cliched sakura blossoms. But hey, no self-respecting otaku can resist. You know, this feels more like the beginning of a story than a oneshot. Maybe I'll tie in several more oneshots to this chapter later.

Oh yay! I've already reached ten chapters. I'm already a fifth of the way there from completing the challenge! I'll do my best!!!

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**7# Reunion**

Momiji walked through the streets after school let out, his book bag slung over one shoulder. There were clumps of school kids all around him, but he was mostly alone. A little unwillingly, he remembered the times when he would walk home with Tohru and Kyo and Yuki and all of their friends. But that was a distant memory.

A smudge of pink caught his attention. Momiji stopped and lifted his head. A few early bloomers sprinkled the sakura tree with pink and white. Momiji cocked his head, puzzled. Had that much time passed already? It was almost graduation time. The thought squeezed his chest tightly. Going to college meant even more distance, more lonely walks—at least until he made some new friends. And yet, they would never quite compare to the company of the person he most wanted to see. He may never get to see the sakuras blossoms with the one person he wanted to be with.

Someone let out a sudden shout. Momiji ripped his eyes away from the sakura tree just in time to spot a sun hat bouncing past him. He deftly caught it before it had the misfortune of landing in a mud puddle. Hurried footsteps approached him as he dusted it off.

"My hat! Oh, thank you for getting my hat!" a distinctly female voice panted. "I'm just so clumsy, and the wind went _whoosh_!"

Momiji straightened up and prepared to hand over the hat with a smile. "No pro—" But the words stuck in his throat. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the little lady before him. The hair was a little shorter. Yes, yes, but those eyes could only belong to one person.

Judging by the way her pretty little mouth slowly fell open, she must have recognized him as well. "Mo-momiji?" she stammered.

Momiji was half tempted to choke out "Speak of the devil," but that wouldn't fit, because Tohru was far from a devil in that loose, white sundress she wore. He grabbed her into a tight hug, if only to reassure himself that she was not some magnificent ghost from happier memories. But there was no _poof!_ of smoke. No fading or dissolving into thin air. She remained perfectly solid in his arms. Solid and warm, just like always.

"Tohru," he mumbled over and over again. "Tohru. Tohru. Tohru!"

She returned the hug before gently but firmly prying him away. "I was hoping that I would run into you, Momiji-kun," Tohru said lightly, her eyes staring at her feet in a show of coyness. As she slipped her hat back on, Momiji could have sworn that she was blushing slightly.

This was too much! Momiji felt his legs starting to give out, so he latched onto Tohru's shoulders to make sure he remained standing. "But where's Kyo? Last time I saw you, you two were going far away to go live together. Isn't he—?" Momiji broke off when he saw the look in her eyes. They clouded over, and Tohru ducked her head even further. He thought he felt a faint quivering in her shoulders, as if she was about to cry.

"I'm taking a vacation is all," Tohru mumbled in a low voice. "I wanted to visit all of my friends."

Momiji held a suspicious belief that something was wrong, but he didn't press on it. All that mattered was that she was here, alive and well, before him. A breeze blew past them, and Tohru quickly held onto her hat in a panic, as if worried it would fly away again. The wind brought with it a few of the sakura petals. In fact, one pink petal drifted right between them, almost fluttering against Momiji's nose at one point. Shocked, Tohru looked up at the sakura tree they were standing under. "The sakura blossoms are rather early this year, aren't they?" she remarked distantly.

Momiji gave her shoulders a squeeze. "That's exactly what I was thinking."


	11. Say Something!

**A/N: **Man! It sure has been a while, hasn't it? Gomen nasai! This time of year is always hectic and crazy for me. I barely get internet time whatsoever. Not to mention that NaNoEdMo is eating up any writing time I have left. I always feel guilty writing fanfics when my novel is glaring back at me on the desktop. ^^; I wish I could give you something really fluffy to make up for my absence. Alas, I guess I'm just not in a fluffy mood. Poor Momiji! I abuse him too much, don't I?

Oh, and a little disclaimer. For all of those who have not heard of the show Durarara! you must immediately go to youtube and check it out right now. It . . . is . . . AMAZING!!!! Ahhhh, the plot twists and intricateness of it all are just so GOOD!!! I'm not kidding. Watch it. NOW!

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**48# Say Something!**

"Oh!" Tohru cried, clapping her hands to her mouth. "Momiji-kun! You didn't have to bring me anything! Just your company is more than enough!"

Momiji smiled as he handed her the bunny doll. "What's this? I'm hurt, my Tohru-chan. Do you not like it?"

Tohru's eyes bulged out in a panic. "N-n-no! That's n-not it at all!" she stammered. "I love it! I love it!" She hugged the bunny tightly, snuggling up to it in contentment. Momiji's stomach gave a slight lurch when he saw that. What he wouldn't give to be in the plush doll's place! And to think, that actually _used_ to be him, back when he still had the curse. But no more bunny cuddles for him now.

Maybe he was being a little conceited, but Momiji could have sworn that the single bunny doll really brightened up the hospital room. Thanks to his gift, the atmosphere seemed just a bit cheerier. And Tohru's cheeks were flushed in glee as she played with the doll a little, making it do a silly dance. Momiji just laughed with her, pulling a chair up beside her bed so that he could be close to her. Ah, that's right. He would definitely bring flowers the next time he was here. To brighten the room even more. Or maybe he would make a bunch of colorful, paper cranes. Anything to make Tohru smile. It had seemed that particular expression had been missing from her face as of late.

"Thanks so much again, Momiji-kun!" Tohru said, her eyes sparkling. "It means so much that you would take time to come visit me. Especially with school and violin practice and all of that."

"Of course, Tohru," Momiji replied. "You're acting as if hardly anyone comes to see you. The rest of the Sohmas better be visiting you. They have no excuse!" He even waggled his index finger to emphasize his point, which earned him a giggle from Tohru.

"Oh no. Everyone's been so nice to me. Hana-chan and Uo-chan see me every day after school. Yuki comes to see me every now and then too, normally after student council duties are over. Shigure and Kisa and Hiro and Ren too. I've even been honored with a visit from Akito. I'm really very . . . lucky."

Momiji blinked. He caught the slight catch in Tohru's voice. In alarm, he noticed that her smile was starting to fade. But it wasn't as if it was hard to figure out why.

"Tohru . . . has Kyo come to visit you?" Momiji asked slowly.

Tohru paused before wildly shaking her head. She stared at her hands, hiding her face.

Momiji grabbed Tohru's hand and squeezed it tightly. The blood roared in his ears. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. _Hurry up!_ He thought in desperation. His heart beat frantically in his chest, drowning out the words he couldn't seem to speak. _Say something! Now's your chance. _

Tohru's hand was trembling inside of his. "You know," she began, her voice full of painfully fake cheer. "I told Kyo that I loved him. I told him . . . and he told me that I was disillusioned. He . . . well I guess you could say that he . . . turned me down." Tohru smiled ruefully, close to tears. "It's pretty pathetic, isn't it?"

Momiji clenched his teeth, willing himself to speak. He _had_ to speak! _Tell her you love her. Steal her from Kyo, _a voice begged Momiji inside of his head. _You're supposed to be fighting for her. You're supposed to not give up! Say something and take her for yourself._

"I now know how you felt, Momiji," Tohru whispered. "And I'm so sorry." She let out a humorless laugh that seemed too twisted and bitter to be coming from Tohru. Torhu, the personification of sunshine and happiness. "I suppose it was like karma for me, huh?"

_Tell her that it's okay! Tell her that you still forgive her and love her the most! Comfort her, kiss her, do something!_ The voice was practically screaming.

"I'm sorry," Tohru repeated. The tears slipped down her cheeks.

Momiji slumped over, his head hanging. He exhaled through his teeth and finally found the will to speak. "I . . . I don't . . . believe . . . that," he stated, forcing each word out with great difficulty. Tohru stared at him, her watery eyes wide. "I don't believe that . . . Kyo could just say that to you . . . and mean it. Because I know that he . . . he . . ." The words choked in Momiji's throat. Helplessly, he brought Tohru's hand up to his cheek. He closed his eyes, savoring the warm touch of her skin in silence for a while.

"Tohru," he mumbled softly, his lips brushing against her palm as he spoke. "Don't give up."

And the next time that he visited her, he didn't have to be reminded of the fact that his bunny doll sat on the nightstand, dejected and half-forgotten. The far-off gaze of Tohru's eyes was enough as she stared out the window wordlessly, waiting for one person and one person only.


	12. Fortune

**A/N:** Chinese food is so yummy! But it will never beat Japanese! (i'm such a fatty :P )

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**37# Fortune**

"Uwahh! I'm so full," Tohru sighed, setting down her chopsticks and leaning back in sleepy contentment.

Momiji slurped up a particularly long piece of lo mein and lightly elbowed Tohru. "Don't fall asleep yet. A good part's coming up," he said, nodding towards the flickering TV.

"So what's the significance of the Goblet of Fire again?"

"Tohru! We're already past that part. You must have missed it when you got up to use the bathroom."

"Ehhh?!?"

"It's fine. It's not that big of a deal anyway. It just spits out a piece of paper with Harry's name on it, is all." To make it up to her, Momiji offered her his last dumpling. Tohru hesitated for a moment, wondering if she had enough room for more food, but then she shrugged and ate it. She grinned widely and rubbed her belly.

"China Express makes the best dumplings," she sighed.

"Agreed!" Momiji sang with a snap of his chopsticks. He set down his empty take-out box and rummaged around in the bag curiously. "I wonder if they gave us those fortune cookies as well. They do it every now and then."

Tohru had closed her eyes, but as soon as she heard the words "fortune cookies," she perked up and opened an eye.

"Aha! Here we are. Two fortune cookies." Momiji tossed one to Tohru, and she caught it eagerly. They unwrapped them and split them open. In the dark room, they struggled to read the small slips of paper.

"Mmm," Tohru said, peering at it closely in the light of the television. "Mine says, 'Your love life will take you on an unexpected turn. Just remember that sometimes romance is right under your nose.' Ooo, looks like I have some romance in my future. What does yours say?"

Momiji stared at his slip of paper, his mouth slightly open.

Tohru cocked her head curiously and reached for the paper. "What? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing." Momiji quickly shoved the paper in his shirt pocket before Tohru could see it. "It's just a bad fortune. Nothing but doom and gloom." Momiji let out a nervous laugh, but then realized that Tohru was staring at him with her eyebrows raised. To shut himself up, Momiji stuffed the fortune cookie in his mouth. "Ahh! Wook! Iz de wagonz!" Momiji exclaimed with a full mouth.

"You mean dragons?" Tohru laughed.

Momiji swallowed and laughed with her. "Hari looks nothing like that, huh?"

"Well, I doubt even Harry Potter could ride sea horses."

They watched the movie in silence for a while. But right after Harry Potter seized the golden egg, Momiji saw Tohru yawn out of the corner of his eye.

"That's not a good sign," he remarked playfully as he rummaged through the bag again, making sure there weren't any extra cookies left. "There's still two more movies after—"

Something leaned against Momiji's shoulder. Momiji froze, and he slowly glanced down. Tohru was leaning against him with droopy eyes.

"Sorry," Tohru apologized with another large yawn. "Does it bother you?"

"No," Momiji said a little too quickly.

Tohru smiled as she closed her eyes again. Momiji hardly dared to move, even when he arm started to fall asleep half an hour later. To distract himself from the pins and needles, Momiji carefully took out his fortune again.

_"A persistent heart will always bring you your desires"_

And on the other side, where it gave the Chinese word of the day, there was a word that Momiji had mistaken for onigiri at first glance. Cheeks turning red, Momiji exhaled and put the fortune back in his pocket for safe keeping. He rested his head against Tohru's, and with a smile he too fell asleep.


	13. Holiday

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A/N: well, here ya go. spring break is coming up, btw. maybe i'll have more time to do fanfics then. once all this testing is over with. sigh.

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* * *

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**20# Holiday**

Tohru blinked in surprise when the rectangular object was shoved in her hands. Cocking her head and looking too cute to be fair, she asked, "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion," Momiji chirped with a wide grin.

"No holiday at all?"

"Nope! I just remember hearing you say that you wanted it, so I decided to get it for you."

"Oh! Thank you very much," Tohru gushed with a couple of quick bows. She flipped the CD over to look at the list of songs. Her fingers traced over the names, knowing that she was probably going to be listening to the music constantly for the next three weeks or so. "I feel bad though. What can I do to make it up to you?"

"_Tohru-chan_," Momiji gasped. "That's almost insulting. It really was no trouble at all. It wasn't even that expensive."

"Still," Tohru persisted. "You're always buying me things for no reason. I have to do _something_ in return."

Momiji closed his mouth, and just in time too. He almost blurted out something corny and embarrassing, like just being graced with her presence was a gift to him. Something along those lines. But he managed to hang on to control thankfully.

"Hmm, will this be enough?"

"Huh?" Momiji replied, snapping out of his thoughts. The second he looked up, Tohru was at his side. Her lips brushed against his cheek, giving him pleasant tingling sensations. She got down from her tiptoes and looked up at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"I-I . . . I . . ." Momiji stuttered. Lord, he wasn't turning red, was he? Please say he wasn't turning red! "I—"

"Thank you for the CD, Momiji-kun," Tohru sang.

Her warmth began to disappear as she peeled herself away from Momiji's side. It appears twice is too much in a single minute. He wasn't so successful with his self-control that time. "I don't think that was enough," Momiji blurted out in a rush.

Tohru paused, her expression perplexed. "What?"

"Yeah, I lied. That CD was actually pretty expensive, since it's pretty new and it had to be imported from America and all. I just didn't want to tell you and worry you."

"O-oh," Tohru stammered. "Well, does this make it more even?" She scurried over to his other side, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a kiss on the right cheek. Momiji savored it with unusual sensitivity. The touch of her gloss against his skin. The soft, characteristic noise the kiss made. And how much this kiss seemed even shorter than the last.

Tohru lowered her heels. "Better?"

Momiji grabbed her elbow before she could escape. "It's not enough," he repeated, pulling her a little closer.

But then a sad light entered her blue eyes, and Momiji reluctantly let her go, ashamed of his impulses.

"That's asking a little much, isn't it?" Tohru replied quietly. There was a bit of an awkward silence in which they couldn't meet each other's eyes. But then Tohru brightened—or maybe she simply forced herself—and she walked backwards with a skip as the school bell rang. "I'll make you a home-cooked meal. How does that sound?" she called as she left him.

Momiji assembled a smile on his face. He didn't want her to worry after all. "Ah, sure. That sounds great."

Tohru waved at him before disappearing in the halls. Momiji stood there frozen for a while. His hands unconsciously reached up to his burning cheeks. It almost felt as if he had been branded. Then he shook his head wildly and smiled, for real this time. "Hey, it's a start, it's a start," he mumbled under his breath, grinning from ear to ear.


	14. Sensations

**A/N:** I just had prom recently. I had expected it to be an entire disaster, but it was a lot better than I thought. I had a lot of fun with my friends, even if the person I liked never showed. And here is a product of my wishful thinking during the slow songs at prom. Do Japanese schools have prom? Just in case they don't, I'll just call this chapter a dance and leave it up to your imagination. ;D

Enough of my ranting. On with the story.

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**38# Sensations**

Momiji hung out around the upper platform, looking down on the dance floor. The crowds made him uneasy, even though truly he wanted nothing more than to jump down there and join the hundreds of hormonal teenagers dancing the night away. The bunny leaned against the railing and sipped on his punch, occasionally adjusting his bowtie. He had been wearing the boys uniform for quite some time now, but a full-blown tuxedo took a little getting used to. It was hot and constraining, and not nearly as creative or cute as he might have preferred. If it weren't for his hair, Momiji might have completely blended in with the other guys, which was something he always tried to avoid.

Assimilation sucked.

"Hurry up, Tohru! The party's already started!"

"B-but! B-b-but!"

"Oh Tohru, you look fine."

Momiji choked and spluttered when Uo-chan and Hana-chan walked into the room. They were beautiful, but not nearly as stunning as the little flower trailing behind them reluctantly.

Hana-chan paused, her wave radar already activating. "Sohma alert," she mumbled.

"Oh look. It's Momiji," Uo-chan pointed out. She waved at him. "Oi, Momiji! Thank your cousin Ayame for us!"

Ah, that would explain the Lolita goddess they had brought to the party. Tohru fussed with her lacy skirts self-consciously. Her blushing cheeks matched the pale pink of her dress. "H-hello, Momiji," she stammered in embarrassment.

Momiji opened his mouth to say something, but then Uo-chan interrupted as she searched the crowds below. "Aha! I can see that carrot-top even from here! Hmph, he and Sohma are so _anti-social_. Why are they hanging out way in the corner by themselves?" Uo-chan grinned down at Tohru mischievously. "Come on, Tohru. Let's see if we can get you a dance."

"Ah! N-n-no, I—well er, u-uh!" Tohru stuttered, wringing her gloved hands.

"We're going! See you, Momiji!" Uo-chan called as she and Hana-chan dragged the protesting Tohru down the marble stairs.

"Ah, Tohru-chan! Wait!" Momiji cried. He grabbed her shoulder, afraid that she would get away.

Tohru paused on the steps and looked back curiously. Momiji suddenly got tongue-tied when her lucid eyes fell on him. But he didn't have much time. Uo-chan and Hana-chan were impatient. He managed to choke out, "Tohru, you look . . . beautiful." The word stuck in his throat. His hand unconsciously, slipped down her arm. "So beautiful."

He almost took her hand. Almost held her back so she could not escape. But Uo-chan and Hana-chan were already dragging her away, so his hand only brushed against hers.

"Thank you," Tohru said before they were too far away to hear each other. Damn the loud music! It didn't have to be this loud did it? Tohru said something else, but it was drowned out by the noise. Momiji felt like jogging up to her to ask what she had said, but he restrained herself. She would soon be lost in the crowd, and it wouldn't do to transform now of all times. So he leaned against the railing again and got comfortable, knowing he would be there most of the night.

Tohru looked back in his direction more than once. Momiji always caught her when she did, even when she was all the way on the other side of the room.

He never took his eyes off of her, not once the entire night.


	15. Realization

**A/N:** hi you guyz! sorry for the long absence. school is a synonym for child abuse, i swear. and what's more, i've felt a little demoralized lately. about a month or so ago, i found out that someone had plaguarized not one, but TWO of my fanfics. i tried to contact the site managers about it, but they never did anything. so basically, i pouted for a while. no joke, that REALLY pissed me off. i was THIS CLOSE to just taking all of my fanfics off the site. but honestly, i hate not finishing things. i really want to finish this challenge, and i've been getting ninja threats in my inbox trying to bribe me to finish off my other story "Crystal Clear." so i'll finish off, but after that . . . i'm not too sure what i'm going to do. i know they're just fanfics and they don't mean much in the long run, but it really bothers me to know that there are losers out there who copy and paste the stuff that you worked hard on.

if you would like to support me, i would be very honored. the person who stole my two fanfics is named TobiIsSoBadAss. Here is a link to their profile .net/u/2305525/TobiIsSoBadAss if you could just send a nice little note to her/him, it would be appreciated. or if you could email the site managers, that would be good too. maybe if more people complain about it, something will actually be done.

that is all. didn't mean to rant or make anyone feel bad. hopefully this fluffy chapter will make up for it. ;D

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43# Realization

"I'm sorry," Tohru apologized with a quick dip of the head as she walked in with the freshly popped popcorn. "Truly, you didn't have to stay with me."

Momiji looked up at her as he lounged lazily across the sofa, flashing her a smile. "Ah, Akito-san doesn't like me much anyway, especially not since my curse was lifted," Momiji chatted cheerfully. He patted the sofa and shifted his legs a bit, gesturing for Tohru to join him. Tohru sat down graciously. "I'm just surprised that Kyo was called in as well. Ever since Hito-kun and I lost our 'bonds', Akito-san seems to have been tightening his hold on the other Jyuunishi."

"Mmm," Tohru mumbled, still not convinced. Momiji reached for the popcorn bowl in Tohru's lap. Tohru offered it to him wordlessly, her face blank.

"Oh, don't worry so much Tohru-chan!" Momiji playfully scolded her. For added effect, he threw a piece of popcorn at her, which made her squeak in surprise. "The others will be fine. And getting to hang out with you is no problem at all."

Tohru's face softened. "You're right."

"So? What's the verdict for tonight?" Momiji reached down and rummaged through his rabbit bookbag. "I brought a variety of movies this time. We could even watch them all if you like."

They ended up watching a second-rate, romantic comedy first. Tohru was sucked in from the first scene, which happened to take place on a clichéd, sunset beach setting. But Momiji couldn't help himself, and every now and then he snorted or rolled his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Tohru asked at one point, barely able to unglue her eyes away from the screen, which was featuring the geeky heroine slow dancing with the school prince under the stars. Tohru squealed in excitement when they drew close for the kiss.

"It's that," Momiji said. "It's too easy. It's almost like they don't have to try at all. I don't believe it."

"It's a movie."

"They could still try to make the plot more believable. I mean, how often do you fall in love with someone the minute they say hello? That kind of stuff just doesn't happen. I could write a script even better than this with no problem."

"You say that now, but you never know how much effort the director put into it," Tohru insisted, still trying to defend the movie in her kindly way. "Have you ever tried it?"

"I'll try it now. Just watch."

They locked eyes, and Momiji thought for a while. Tohru waited expectantly, and for a moment she seemed to forget all about the mushy romance playing softly in the background. Then Momiji grinned crookedly as an idea formed in his head, and played with a lock of Tohru's hair. "Do you believe in realizations?" he whispered. His voice suddenly lowered and transformed into a soft and velvety thing, one that was so quiet Tohru found herself unconsciously leaning in closer to hear better.

Tohru blinked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean when you don't think you like somebody, that you just consider them a friend, but then you realize later that you actually do like that person." Momiji brushed his fingers down Tohru's hair, stopping only to give her cheek a soft caress. "Do you believe in realizations?" he repeated in a whisper.

Momiji was surprised to note that Tohru actually blushed slightly. With the slightest shiver, she looked away, and Momiji's fingers were left hovering in air.

"D-depends I guess," she stammered.

"Do you believe in me?" Momiji pressed on. "That I still love you, even now? That at first you were just an ordinary girl to me, but with every passing day you became more and more vital to my existence? That I would never hurt you and—"

"It's not that—!" Tohru blurted out in alarm, but she stopped when she saw the look in Momiji's eyes. He winked at her, as if to remind her it was all just acting. Her voice stuck in her throat, and she blushed deeper.

Momiji's hovering hand drifted down to Tohru's elbow. "Did you know that I would never stop fighting for the things most important to me?" he asked. His voice had lowered to the point where Tohru had to strain her ears to hear him over the girly pop singing in the TV. The movie had switched to a cheery, sunny scene, clashing with the real world, which was still dark and much too serious.

He pulled gently on Tohru's elbow, pulling her closer and closer until she was leaning over him, dangerously close. Tohru's warm breath fanned out across Momiji's face. Her breaths were quick, nervous. Suppressing a grin, Momiji pushed himself up a little to whisper in her ear, "Forever I will protect you. Forever I will want you. Even if God himself stands between us, I will watch over you. The rest is up to you to realize . . ."

But then he couldn't hold back his smile anymore, and he released Tohru. "How was that?" he asked, his voice back to its normal tone.

Momiji noted with secret pleasure that even though he had let her go, she still hadn't moved away from him. But then again, who could blame her? Tohru seemed rather shell-shocked, as if her brain had complete shutdown out of bewilderment. Almost like a deer in headlights. It took several attempts of stammering before she could finally gasp out the words, "That was very good."

"Just good?"

"Incredibly good. Too good. You were right. I don't know if I could watch this movie anymore."

Momiji chuckled quietly as he snatched up the remote. "That's what I thought."

For the rest of the night, he could periodically sense Tohru staring at him.


	16. Cloud Nine

**A/N:** remember how prompt number ten "Reunion" sounded so much like the beginning of a story to me? well, i got to thinking . . . and now I have almost a whole mini-story line to it. a broken up story within a series of oneshots. hey, you guys wanted me to stop abusing momiji so much, so here you go. think of these as part two, set a couple of days after "Reunion." and there will probably be a part three somewhere down the line.

enjoy! ^^

(two more weeks til summer! kyaaaaaa!!!!)

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**46# Cloud Nine**

"Are you going to tell me yet?" Momiji asked curiously.

Tohru remained silent as she swung halfheartedly back and forth on the swings. Momiji, who was leaning against the swing-set pole with his hands shoved in his pockets, watched her do it. Tohru repeatedly glanced over to her friend and opened her mouth, but always shut it again and averted her eyes at the last moment. And each time she did so, her face would be a little more flushed.

"I missed you," Tohru said, seeming to change the question.

Momiji tilted his head and let out an aggrieved moan. "Tohru, you might as well fess it up now." He ditched the pole and stood right in front of Tohru. He deftly caught the two metal chains before Tohru's swing could run into him, and he gently forced her to a stop. "How long have we been together, Tohru? You should know that I can read you like a book. I know when something's troubling you, and you should know I hate it when you're so down like this."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

". . . I'm sorry," Tohru said again, ducking her head a little lower. Did she always have such a hard time looking Momiji in the eye?

Well, Momiji was having nothing of that. He leaned in extra close to her face, forcing her to make eye contact. His proximity made her flinch, and he heard her suck in her breath.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong yet? Why did you come back so suddenly, and without a single word?" Momiji blinked, and then he scrambled to fish out his cell phone from his pocket. "Look! I haven't gotten an email from you since last Saturday!"

Tohru's mouth twitched upward in a small smile. "That was three days ago, Momiji-kun. I came back two days ago."

"So what? You have no idea how much I look forward to my daily emails from Tohru-chan. They're as vital as a nightly serving of strawberry and chocolate ice cream!" Momiji declared dramatically.

Tohru chuckled softly, which made Momiji soften. Good. At least she wasn't so troubled that she couldn't spare a laugh.

"I knew this was a good idea," Tohru said, a bit of her normal cheer returning. "You always know how to make me feel better, and whenever I'm around you I'm always laughing . . ." But then Tohru's voice faded, and she resumed her coy and troubled expression.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he mumbled, trying with all his might to read her mind as he leaned in a little closer.

But Tohru was spared from having to answer, because at that moment, a raindrop splattered against Momiji's left cheek, making him jerk back in surprise. "Rain?" he wondered aloud to no one in particular.

As soon as Momiji had backed off, Tohru hopped out of the swing and smoothed her skirt. "We should probably head back then, shouldn't we?" she asked, her voice a little strained. She was already edging away, but Momiji caught her wrist with a grin.

"Oh no you don't. You're not getting away so easily!" With his free hand, he jabbed her in the side. Tohru instantly twisted and laughed.

"Momiji-kun! Not now—ah ha ha!" she laughed again as he repeatedly tickled her, right in all the spots where it tickled most.

He had memorized her weak spots a long time ago.

The drizzle grew to something a little more than a drizzle, but Tohru and Momiji ignored it for a moment. Tohru had managed to slip out of Momiji's grasp, and he chased her all over the playground. Across the wobbly bridge. Down the curvy slide that had an icy cold puddle waiting for them at the bottom. Out from behind the tunnel. Over the monkey bars where Momiji caught Tohru and, laughing, spun her around in tight, dizzy circles.

But by then, a clap of thunder came along to end their parade. Momiji set Tohru back on her feet and they ran out of the park, holding hands and trying to cover their hands even though they were already soaked through. And they never stopped laughing as they splashed through the puddle-filled sidewalks.

Eventually, the silver sheets of rain became so heavy that it was nearly impossible to see. Momiji dragged Tohru into a narrow alley way that was shielded from the rain. They could barely breathe from all the running, but still they laughed, their foreheads touching as they hugged onto each other tightly to keep from collapsing out of exhaustion. Tohru never quite knew when her hands had found Momiji's face, and Momiji wasn't really sure when he wrapped his arms around Tohru's waist, bringing them a little closer. Maybe they had always been there; neither of them could tell. It just felt strangely right and familiar. No one was laughing anymore. Amidst the roar of the storm, Momiji and Tohru were trapped in a small bubble of dry warmth and security. Just the two of them. Nothing else existed. Nothing ever did.

Tohru tilted her head slightly, as if in consent, and Momiji leaned in.


	17. Words of the Heart

**A/N:** and before you ask: no, this is not part three to "Reunion." maybe sometime later, guys. i'm sorry. this oneshot will take place in tohru's last year of high school during the cultural fest. and, i can relate to this so personally, because it happened to me once.

another note (cuz i can't help a little rant every now and then), who else thinks that that is the cheesiest prompt they've ever seen? i mean, REALLY? "words of the heart"? i was half tempted to just ignore it or at the very least title it something else, but then i figured i might as well go ahead and get it out of the way. curse my integrity, but i've never liked cheating. ^^ hopefully the cheesy prompt won't infect my writing for this chapter.

* * *

**16# Words of the Heart**

After chatting with her friends and everyone that had come to see her, Tohru excused herself with a bow and made her way back to the dressing room to collect her things.

"Ahhh, my last cultural festival," Tohru sighed as she wiped the stage makeup from her face. She glanced down at the tiny, wallet-sized picture of her mom she had stuck in her compact. "The play went so well. Well, at least everyone else did. I messed up as usual. Forgot some lines. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be an actress." And Tohru laughed to herself, thinking about how silly she must have seemed on stage.

She threw away the makeup wipe and proceeded to take out the pins out of her hair. Soft curls fluttered into her face. "But you should have seen the dress I was in, Mom. I don't think I've ever felt like such a princess. Ayame-san is really just so amazing."

Tohru finished with her hair and hung up her costume. Then she picked up the compact and smiled at her mom's picture. "I'm sure everyone made such good memories. But it's strange, knowing that I won't get to participate again next year."

Feeling both nostalgic and cheerful at the same time, Tohru clapped the compact shut. She hummed as she tossed her makeup and hair accessories in her purse. No one else was in the dressing room. Everyone must have already grabbed their stuff. So Tohru kept humming to herself, not minding at all.

She never heard his footsteps.

Before she knew it, warm arms enveloped her from behind. They held her tightly to keep her from looking around—not that Tohru tried. Sucking in her breath, Tohru found that she couldn't move out of shock. But before she could find it in herself to ask who it was, a soft, breathy voice whispered in her ear.

"Beautiful."

. . . what?

All too soon, the arms reluctantly released her. A strange sensation, almost like being winded, came over Tohru. When the person's footsteps had almost exited the room, Tohru whirled around to catch a glimpse of him. The splash of blond made her eyes double in size.

No. It couldn't be.

It took a while to realize her heart was racing. In a panic, Tohru pressed her hands over her chest, as if to quell the beating. "Th-that's it?" she whispered in wonder. "Just one little word?"

Such a simple, simple word.

Without another thought, Tohru snatched up her purse and ran out of the dressing room.


	18. Forever Ours

**A/N:** Set far into the future. Awww, aren't they so cute? Hope you don't mind if I experimented with the style a bit. This came to me in a dream, actually. Don't you love it when that happens? Keep it coming, O Mighty Muse!

. . . . only less than a week of school left for me! ^.^

* * *

**12# Forever Ours**

She knew where he was just by listening to the music. Tohru quietly followed it, her eyes half-closed. She knew every twist, every turn of the hallway all too well. The violin never lied to her, and it led her with complete certainty. Eventually, Tohru found herself, almost without surprise, in the sunroom downstairs.

He was practicing, as he normally did early in the morning. Tohru leaned against the doorframe, her face soft as she watched. His strong, capable back was to her, his weight shifting from foot to foot as he swayed in time to the gentle melody. Seeing him basking in the sunlight like that—greeting the morning with a song fit to make the birds jealous—filled Tohru with a strange feeling. Maybe even more so than usual due to what this day in particular meant. Tohru tried to swallow the emotion, but that only made it constrict her throat even more.

God, she loved that man.

A wave of nausea made Tohru touch a hand to her belly. She was nervous. Rightfully so. He didn't particularly like to be interrupted during practice, and Tohru respected that, but what she had to say couldn't wait.

If only she knew _what_ to say.

But, her body must have known, for her feet shuffled a little nearer to the source of the heaven-song. He was far too lost to concentration to hear or sense her approach. During a quiet part of the piece, when Momiji's arm was barely moving, Tohru placed her hands on his shoulders and stood on tiptoe to whisper something in his ear.

The bow jerked in surprise, ending the song with a shrill, ugly note. For a moment Tohru worried that he had accidentally popped one of his strings. His brown irises whirled to meet her face, and his eyes were so wide that Tohru could see two, clear reflections of herself in them. She got nervous all over again. Did she say the wrong thing? Was he not pleased? Should she have waited?

"W-what?" he said hoarsely, completely at a loss for words.

Tohru simply nodded her head once. He had heard her. There's no way he couldn't have.

She _really_ should have waited, shouldn't she?

The silence dragged on, with Momiji gaping helplessly at Tohru. Was he shaking? A faint sound of a metronome, which Tohru hadn't noticed before, nudged its way into the quiet.

Then, Momiji's precious, most prized violin, the one he had taken care of for years and years, the instrument that to him was more loyal than a dog, more vital than his life—he dropped it on the floor. Just dropped it. Tohru stared in shock, and then she was suddenly enveloped in warm arms. Twirling. He was twirling her. Around and around again, never to let her go.

"Are you sure?" he asked, sounding almost frantic now, his face shining in happiness. "Are you really, _really_ sure?"

Tohru reached into her pocket to take out her proof, but Momiji kissed her full on the lips before she had time to show him. It dropped from Tohru's hands as she wrapped her arms around Momiji's neck in relief. She could feel him still shaking from shock, just as she also was probably shaking, but they were laughing in wonder and joy and hardly cared at all.

And as they danced around the room, on the ground laid the abandoned violin and, next to it, the pregnancy test, which declared for all the world to see: "positive."


	19. Begging

A/N: oops! i had actually done this a few days ago, but somehow forgot to post it. sorry guys. i'm sure that's pretty unforgivable in your eyes. :P

* * *

**23# Begging**

After holding his breath for a moment, he quietly opened the door. It was dark in Tohru's room. Momiji scanned the floor to make sure there was nothing he might step on or trip over (though he didn't know why he bothered. Tohru was always so impeccably neat), and then he tiptoed inside. Before stopping at her bedside, he grabbed the chair at her desk and pulled it over. Then he climbed in the chair and hugged his knees, staring at Tohru's face. The white of her bandage stood out against the shadows and her messy, dark hair. Glumly, Momiji touched his own cheek.

He didn't ever want to remember.

He didn't ever want to forget.

Momiji rested his chin on his knees, his eyes half-closed. Maybe he should just fall asleep here? He certainly didn't mind listening to the slow, even rhythm of Tohru's breathing. Besides, there was no way Momiji could sleep at ease in his own bed knowing that Akito was still roaming. A shiver ran up his spine. The rabbit didn't think he could ever trust Akito again. And yet, at the same time, excuses for Akito's behavior, all of them overly generous, kept spinning through his head.

Momiji was confused.

But he supposed it was the curse.

Tohru rolled over in her sleep with a contented sigh. Momiji's lips twitched into a smile. Yes, he was definitely going to stay right where he was.

After watching for a little longer, Momiji realized that when Tohru rolled over, the blanket slipped off her arm slightly. He moved to fix the blanket, but instead of touching fabric, he found his fingers touching Tohru's hand instead. Without thinking about anything in particular, his fingers traced the contours of her hand and wrist.

"I'm sorry, Tohru," Momiji whispered. "I can't protect you."

"Momiji-kun?"

Momiji froze and glanced over to Tohru's face. Even in the dark, he could tell that her eyes were open, and she was looking at him with a confused, half-asleep expression.

Momiji snatched his hand back and returned to hugging his knees. "I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry," he apologized.

Tohru sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Mmm, it's fine. You just surprised me is all. Is something wrong?"

Momiji's mouth fell open slightly. He could feel his cheeks warming in embarrassment. "H-huh?"

"You were mumbling something before."

Momiji lowered his eyes. "Tohru?"

"Yes?"

Now that Tohru was awake, Momiji realized he could hear several other sounds in the room. The faint ticking of a hidden clock. The hiss of rain outside. The roar of blood in his ears.

Momiji leaned over and buried his face in Tohru's comforter. Tohru gasped in shock and instantly started to fret over him, her concern so predictable that it was almost a joke.

"Oh no! He collapsed? It couldn't be a fever, could it? From being out in the rain too long? Momiji, are you al—?"

"I'm fine," Momiji muttered, his voice muffled by the blanket.

". . . ah."

It was quiet again.

"Tohru?"

"Yeeeees?"

"Can you promise me something?"

Tohru didn't reply. She simply waited patiently to hear what Momiji had to say. He was still hiding his face. Not being able to see Tohru made it a little easier to say what needed to be said.

"Stay away from Akito," Momiji finally choked out. Shame constricted his throat, but he forced himself to continue. "I'm begging you. Don't stick your neck into this anymore than you have to. Don't concern yourself with us so much. We can handle it. But if you were to get hurt again, then I—"

"You're shaking," Tohru interrupted, slightly unnerved.

And he probably was, but he paid it no mind. "Please just promise me."

Tohru sucked in her breath, and after a brief hesitation, she whispered, "I can't do that Momiji."

Momiji's head snapped up. "Why?" he asked desperately. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. "Tohru, I can't protect you."

"Who says you can't?"

He closed his eyes and squeezed her hand even harder, as if clinging to it for dear life. "I just can't. The curse won't let me. Akito could have done a whole lot worse to you, and I wouldn't have been able to stop him."

"I don't believe that."

A soft hand touched Momiji's uninjured cheek and forced him to look up. But he refused to open his eyes at first.

"I admit that I don't understand much about the curse, and that it may not be my place to say this or continually interfere. But if you want to protect someone, then do it. Don't ever tell yourself you can't."

Slowly, Momiji gave in, and he opened his eyes to look at her face. She was smiling softly, so softly. Just like always. Even though smiling like that probably stung at her wound a little.

"You're strong, Momiji. I know you are."


	20. Why Me    ?

**A/N:** I'm sorry you guys. I really am sorry. But I seriously just couldn't resist. I saw episode 20 of Pandora Hearts . . . and I just had to. Especially when I saw the title of the prompt. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. Brace yourselves for potential OOC-ness.

_

* * *

_

_35# Why Me . . . ?_

_Mmmm_, Momiji thought to himself as he slowly stirred awake. _It smells so good._ With his eyes still closed, he buried himself a little deeper in the soft . . . whatever. What was it anyway? Groggily, he half opened one eye, and then the other. Hair. Long, shiny, good-smelling brunette hair.

_Huh? _

Feeling a little more awake, he let out a moan and pushed himself up a little on the couch. Which took a surprising amount of effort, as if his limbs were all tangled in knots. Then he froze, his heart jumping up into his throat.

_T-t-t-t-tohru! _Momiji thought, staring at the sleeping girl underneath him. His eyes darted all around him in confusion. _Wha-what? What happened? Why are—? _His train of thought was interrupted when a mighty headache crashed over his skull. Momiji groaned again and held his head, trying to calm down.

_D-don't freak. We're still clothed, so nothing bad happened, right? Come on, think! Yesterday . . . uhh, what was yesterday again? Thursday . . . R-right, which means it was our last night at the summer home. We had a mini party. Shigure fixed us a round of punch . . ._

Momiji blinked. It dawned on him, and the realization made him bury his face in his hands.

_He spiked the punch, didn't he?_

His achy head gave a couple of extra strong throbs, as if agreeing with him. Elsewhere around the room, which looked as though several elephants and at least one panda had rampaged through it, he saw some of the others. Kyo was in the far corner, his shirt off and his head halfway in a trashcan for some unknown reason. Yuki was curled up in a lounge chair . . . upside down. Hiro was cuddling with Kisa's bare feet. The adults were missing, probably because they could actually handle their liquor. Haru was also absent, but more than likely that was because he was wandering around somewhere outside in his drunken stupor, looking for faeries and yellow-hatted gnomes.

_That must have been some strong stuff. Kyo and Yuki are going to kill Shigure once their hangover passes,_ Momiji thought. And while he was thinking, someone grabbed his elbow and pulled him down with surprising strength. Momiji hadn't been expecting it, so he fell and wound up with a face full of . . . Tohru's bosom.

"T-t-t-t-tohru!" Momiji gasped, feeling his entire face go red.

Delicate hands on either side of his face lifted his head up so that his eyes met her deep blue ones. "Tohru!" Momiji said quickly. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

She stared at him, not comprehending. A bad feeling nagged inside of Momiji.

"Hey, you're not still drunk, are you?" he asked, brushing aside her bangs and noticing how her cheeks were a cute shade of pink. She didn't answer at first, and Momiji's heart hammered in his chest.

Tohru smiled and waved at him. "Heyo, Momich-kuuuuun."

"U-uhhh . . . hello," Momiji replied with a swallow. Good Lord, he was lying right on top of her, but he couldn't get up because she was still holding his face.

"Morn'n."

" . . . . erm, good morning to you to Tohru."

Tohru looked at him, waiting. But Momiji had no idea what she was expecting. All he knew was that he very much wished to be out of this situation . . . preferably with a bottle of aspirin as well. No one moved, and Tohru's face fell. With a hiccup, she asked, "Neeee, Momich-kuuun. D'you no like me?"

Momiji went red once more. "W-what? Of course n—ah!"

Tohru suddenly pulled Momiji forward, and their lips met. Hers were soft and gentle, and Momiji got the feeling that she was waiting again. Too overwhelmed by his headache and the fact that _Tohru_ was in his arms, Momiji found he couldn't resist. He kissed her back. Once, twice. Instinct took over, and, swallowing his nervousness, he deepened the kiss and let his tongue slip inside her mouth. Distantly, he could feel Tohru's hands passing through his hair. But they soon lost interest, and the tips of her fingers slid down his neck and inside his collar, sampling a bit of bare skin. Momiji shivered and jerked up suddenly with a gasp. Releasing her, Tohru fell back on the sofa and closed her eyes, asleep again in almost an instant.

Bad, bad, bad, bad! Momiji clapped his hands to his mouth and slumped over with a wince. Why did he feel like the violated one?

"MOMIJI!"

Momiji jumped in fright at the sound of Kyo's yell and scrambled clumsily off the sofa. But when he looked over, Kyo was still in a daze in the corner. He was half-heartedly hitting the wall with a pillow. "Stupid rabbit," Kyo mumbled. "Quit stupidly spouting . . . stupid nonsense." Then Kyo hit himself with the pillow and fell quiet.

Momiji breathed out a sigh of relief and scurried into the kitchen before he could be harassed by anyone else. Perhaps it was coffee time. Yes, black coffee sounded mighty good.


	21. Bittersweet

**A/N:** Here it is! The third and last part to "Reunion." [quick recap: _Momiji, now in his senior year, has been missing Tohru, who supposedly had left with Kyo last year. But Tohru suddenly returns without an explanation. Momiji cheers her up during an evening in the park, until it begins to rain. After a mad-dash in the downpour, they exchange their first kiss_]Ughh, I never realized how disgustingly close this sounds to a soap opera. I'm ashamed of myself . . .

This shot might be a little sad, but cute as well (imagine that. it's only called bittersweet after all) :P

* * *

**2# Bittersweet**

A quick change at Momiji's apartment and a couple cups of hot chocolate found the two huddled next to the cheap heater. Momiji had given Tohru most of the blankets, and she was curled up on the sofa, looking very much like an adorable, fat little Eskimo. Momiji, who only had one blanket, sat on the floor so that he could be a little closer to the heater.

"You never told me that you moved out of the Sohma residence," Tohru said.

Momiji smiled weakly. "I guess we've both missed out on a lot, even despite the daily emails."

"Don't tell me things are starting to get bad at the Sohma's again?"

The rabbit flipped his still-wet bangs out of his eyes. "Oh no. Everything's been so much smoother now that the curse has ended. But . . . I don't know. Ever since I had lost the bond, I had been toying with the idea of leaving the Sohma estate. To be truly free, you know? I finally got the courage to give it a try a few months ago. And now here I am, my wonderful home!" He gestured his arms out. His apartment was small but cozy. There wasn't much furniture, but Momiji had made sure to add his own little cutesy touches here and there, so it wasn't uncomfortably sparse. Momiji chuckled and kicked at the heater. "I guess this is the only downside. No fireplace. But you could close your eyes and pretend it's a roaring fire if you want. I'll even make sound effects!"

Tohru giggled as well. "No thank you. I'm quite content." She shifted a little, and as she finally warmed up, she gradually emerged from her blanket cocoon. Momiji could see her wearing his shirt. The white fabric hung loose on her frame and nearly engulfed her tiny body, but strangely, he felt as though he liked seeing her in that shirt. It put a soft, albeit rather stupid, smile on his face.

They were quiet. Tohru staring at the heater. Momiji staring at Tohru. The rain outside hissing. The heater rumbling. Tohru opened her mouth, and Momiji found that he was already hanging on every word, even though she hadn't spoken yet.

"I don't know, either," Tohru mumbled. "Why I left . . . well, maybe that's a lie. I guess I do know, but I hate admitting it."

Momiji shifted a little closer to her and held her hand. His thumb made tiny circles on her skin, which somehow felt entirely too smooth. Tohru made no move to show that she had noticed.

"It's hard being so far away from friends and family. The Dojo hasn't been going well. Money's such an issue lately. And also . . . well, Kyo . . . Kyo's been . . . _changing_ a little."

Momiji snuck a peek at Tohru's hand and realized why it felt so smooth. There was no ring on her finger. Not a single one.

"I just had to get away . . . sometimes I wonder if I'm the problem."

Momiji ran his hand up her arm, but he stopped when he noticed her wincing. Slowly, as if in a dream, he pushed her sleeve up. Her pale skin was accompanied by a few splotches of purple. Momiji lifted his eyes up to her face in shock.

"I-I'm not sure . . . what I did wrong, but—"

"You didn't do anything wrong," Momiji interrupted her, sounding firm. "Tohru would never do anything wrong."

Tohru smiled, but it was slightly pained and afraid. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Stunned, Momiji's hands slipped off of her. He looked away, feeling almost ashamed. But then the fire reignited in his chest. "Even so . . . that does not make it alright for him to hit you."

"I never—!"

"Don't hide it. I know you too well."

Tohru finally looked at Momiji. Momiji looked right back and rested his chin in her lap. "Regardless of what happened . . . Regardless of your motives—Tohru, I don't care about any of that. But you should know that you're not a burden or a problem or anything like that. You can stay here if you want. Also, I'm not a child anymore." Momiji hesitated before mumbling, "I can protect you now."

Tohru swallowed, but it was too late. The tears were already cascading down her cheeks. She tried to hide them, but Momiji gently pried her hands away from her face. He kissed her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Shhh, don't worry," he whispered into her ear over and over again as she cried into his shoulder. "I'll protect you, I promise. I'll never let you be hurt anymore, because . . ."

Because I love you.


	22. Served Your Purpose

**A/N:** and thus, momiji and tohru go grocery shopping after school! . . . . . I hope you all enjoy. I'm admittedly running low on ideas. Fifty is such a big number.

* * *

**11# Served Your Purpose**

"Awwwwwwww," Momiji groaned as the claw, once again, missed the ear of the coveted pink bunny doll and grabbed a mystery prize instead.

"Oh look, Momiji-kun! You grabbed something else! Even I couldn't do that," Tohru gushed, trying to make him feel better.

"But I _wanted _the bunny," Momiji whined. He pressed his face up against the glass, the only thing separating him from the wonderful prizes. "It's taunting me, I know it," he continued to pout as he glared at the bunny doll. "Just look at it. Under normal circumstances, with its ears sticking out so much from the rest of the dolls, it should be relatively easy to grab it, don't you think? So why couldn't I?"

"I'm out of pocket change," Tohru said after a quick scan of her pockets.

"Me too."

The claw dropped the accidental prize in the bin. After shifting around the groceries, Tohru bent down to retrieve the prize. Momiji was still locked in a staring contest with the bunny doll, but he lost when the abrupt sound of Tohru's laughter made her blink.

"Momiji-kun! Look! It's so adorable!" she giggled, showing him the tiny black box.

Curiously, Momiji pried himself off the crane game and set down his share of the groceries. He peeked in the box.

It was a cheap, plastic onigiri ring.

"I've seen an otooro ring and even dumpling ring before, but I've never seen an onigiri ring!" Tohru exclaimed. She was still laughing, her cheeks flushed. She was nothing short of tickled.

Momiji cocked his head at her and asked blankly, "Do you want it?"

"E-eh? M-m-me! Oh no! That wouldn't be right! You won it after all."

"But I'm never going to wear it. Here, give me your hand." Without waiting for her to do so, he took her hand and flourished out the ring with a wink. Then he slipped it on her ring finger, hesitating only for a fleeting second. "There. It's perfect," he mumbled in a low voice, smiling wistfully.

Tohru smiled back at him, her cheeks slightly pink. But then her cell phone rang. She jumped and apologized as she answered it. While she was distracted, Momiji threw a sidelong glance at the crane machine. "Alright, alright," he muttered, hands on his hips. He pointed at the game dramatically. "You've served your purpose. I forgive you for not handing over the bunny doll."


	23. Hidden Among Us

**#50 Hidden Among Us**

The hammock swung gently in the breeze. Looking up at the purple clouds with golden trim and savoring the warm evening, Tohru seriously believed she could fall asleep out here. And she sorta wished she could. The lull of the calm sea would probably put her mind at ease and give her sweet dreams, she figured.

Her eyelids were just beginning to close when she heard someone calling her name. "Tohru! Tohru!"

She didn't get up. Not just yet. She merely lifted her head a fraction. "Momiji-kun?"

Momiji skidded to a stop in front of her, kicking up a little sand. "Tohru? What are you doing out here by yourself? Is something wrong?"

Tohru smiled. "Oh no. Since tonight is our last night at the beach house, I wanted to make sure I savored it to its fullest."

Momiji smiled as well, although his was a little sadder. "Yeah," he sighed, sitting on the other end of the hammock, right by Tohru's feet. "Our last night. But it feels like you might not have gotten to enjoy it much."

"Oh, no no!" Tohru exclaimed. "I had a great time! Honestly! I'm really so very blessed."

Momiji looked at her gravely, measuring her words. "Really?"

"Really, really." And as if to prove it, Tohru fished out an even bigger smile.

Momiji chuckled to himself and swung the hammock back and forth. "Really," he said, as if he couldn't comprehend it, and he sighed again. "Well, I didn't have a lot of fun! I hardly got to spend time with Tohru! Akito's such a meanie."

"A-ahh." Tohru kept her mouth shut. When Momiji glanced over at her, he could just barely detect the outline of her bandage on her cheek. He frowned and chose to stare at his hands instead.

"Therefore, since tonight is the last night, may I spend it with you?"

The question seemed to confuse Tohru. "Of course, Momiji-kun. You don't have to ask."

"I know."

Momiji hoisted his legs up so that he could lay down as well. It was a little crowded on the small hammock, but he didn't mind the proximity. He absentmindedly played with Tohru's toes, smirking whenever he tickled her and her foot jerked. But then he abandoned the game, and they just laid on their backs in silence, staring at the early stars.

The sun had already set by the time Tohru spoke again. "Momiji . . . kun . . . is it really that hard?"

"What is?"

"Disobeying Akito."

Momiji's chest gave a throb. "Yeah."

"Is he really that powerful?"

"Mmm, to outsiders, I suppose not. But . . ." Momiji's eyes narrowed. "Never mind. It's not easy to understand." _And I hope you'll never have to understand._

"I'm sorry," Tohru apologized quickly.

Momiji chuckled. "For what?"

"Well . . . I'm obviously being rude and prying into things that I shouldn't."

"It's fine. I don't mind if it's you. Don't ever feel like you can't ask me something."

They fell silent again. Was it just getting late, or was the mood getting darker? Momiji didn't like it. That's not how two people should spend a last night together. He sat up again, but Tohru didn't stir. Her eyes were closed. With a wicked grin, Momiji carefully crawled over to her, making sure not to tip them both out of the hammock. It was difficult work; the hammock trembled the entire time, but soon Momiji had executed his mission.

"Toh~~~ru," Momiji whispered in a low, almost singsongy voice.

Tohru's eyes flickered open. They took a moment to adjust to the darkness, and then they widened twice their size when they saw Momiji hovering inches away from her.

"M-m-m-momiji-kun!" she gasped.

Momiji grinned even wider and cried out, "Bunny attack!" He dropped his body and enjoyed the three full seconds of the best embrace in his entire life, and then—

_Poof!_

Satisfied, the Momiji-rabbit curled up in the rather stunned Tohru's arms and promptly fell asleep. After getting over the shock, Tohru smiled affectionately, gave his fur a couple of strokes, and fell asleep as well.

Needless to say, Tohru had been right. She had sweet dreams that night . . .

* * *

**A/N:** . . . . . and then a rude awakening in the morning when she opened her eyes and momiji was naked, ne? (smiles mischievously) Or maybe not, if they cuddled all night long. squee! ^^

I wanna go to the beach, but we can't go until the end of July. This was the product of my wistful thinking.


	24. School Uniforms

**A/N:** This is sort of my take on chapter 111 in the manga. Ahhh, when I first read it, I squealed so loud. It had so much momiru potential! -^.^- I had a lot of fun. I might try putting my own spin on more chapters. Also, I'm almost halfway you guys! For all those who've stuck with me thus far. I thank you. If you want, I don't mind taking requests or ideas to add to this oneshot collection. (actually, i would really, REALLY like some ideas, bc i'm starting to run low on steam)

As always, enjoy!

By the way, has anyone read Jane Erye? (totally random, i know) I just finished it today, and it was SOOOOO good. It was SOOOOO romantic and surprisingly fluffy at times. Imagine. A literary classic being fluffy. O.O I recommend it to anyone (though i have to admit, the first ten chapters are rather slow. survive the boring start, and you're in for a real treat, i assure you)

* * *

**32# School Uniforms**

Momiji fidgeted a little before he finally gained the courage to walk through the door. Every part of him was uncomfortable. Something within him whimpered that maybe this wasn't a good idea, that he should just be his usual natural self.

"But I have to try," he mumbled to himself. "It's just an experiment. If I don't like it, I can go back easily."

Still unnerved, he couldn't resist a quick peek at his reflection in the window of the school office. Today, he had made the fateful decision to wear the boys uniform instead of the girls uniform. He had no idea why it had to be today, but something about it felt right. Or at least, it had felt right that morning as he lingered in bed and stared at the sunlight coming through his blinds. Now it felt completely wrong, as if he were denying a part of himself. Momiji readjusting his tie for the thirty second time just that day, trying to ignore the persistent sense that he couldn't quite recognize his reflection.

Momiji continued on. It took a while, but he gradually gained confidence. All the girls in his class were speaking his name behind their hands constantly, and not just a few boys threw him pouting glares, as if willing him to go back to his childish persona. Momiji hardly said a thing in class (which only seemed to add to the female fantasies about the new "cool" Momiji). He was too transfixed in the scenery outside the window. Bright blue sky, and sunny spring day. The rabbit swallowed and endured the sluggish passing of time.

The bell finally rang. Momiji immediately left his seat and wandered the halls, looking around. He resisted a smirk when a couple of his sempai got their first look at him and turned bright red and wide-eyed. But that was not what he was after. What he sought for was just at the end of the hall. Here, he was now extending his hand, within reach. He took a deep breath and grabbed the person's shoulder, the contact of which sent his heart all a flutter.

"Alone?" he murmured in a low voice, for fear that anything louder would reveal the nervous tremor in his voice. "Let's walk home together? Okay?"

Tohru turned around, and when she saw Momiji standing there in his new uniform, for a moment she froze. Momiji's chest clenched painfully, but then he noticed the slight blush that crossed Tohru's cheeks. Relieved, he smiled at her, and she overcame her shock and smiled right back.

"Yes!" she said enthusiastically, still blushing a little.

Worth it, worth it! Everything was worth it just to see that rosy color and that bright smile. But Momiji couldn't contain himself anymore. After suppressing himself all day, that small victory pushed him over the edge. He grabbed Tohru's hand, slung his bunny bookbag (he just couldn't bear to part with it) over his shoulder, and cried triumphantly, "Let's get some ice cream on the way home, kay? Ice cream! Ice cream!"

The two sempai he had run into earlier now looked severely turned off, but Tohru took it all in her stride, smiling as usual. "Of course!" she agreed. And as Momiji practically skipped with her down the hall, she even joined in with his ice cream chant. And it felt like bliss. It felt so undeniably natural that for a moment Momiji forgot that Tohru wasn't actually his.

Eventually, the two of them sobered up. Momiji laughed at all of the dumbfounded faces of the students in the hallways. "Everyone's looking at me weirdly."

Tohru giggled. "It's because you grew taller and prettier. And the uniform suits you perfectly."

"Really?" Momiji exclaimed. "Handsome?" Any more of this and his heart would give out!

"Like a prince!" But the words slipped out before Tohru realized it, and she blushed and looked down at her feet when she said them.

Momiji grinned, fully aware that his face was also feeling rather warm. "Ah, so that's it." He chuckled. "It was hard at first to get used to. But even though it's fun being a kid, I'm glad I finally grew taller. There are some things that kid's can't do, and ultimately, I'm still a guy."

Tohru glanced at her companion curiously, but he didn't offer to explain. He simply stared into her eyes and gave her hand—which he still had not released, not for a moment—a squeeze. Her brow furrowed, and she opened her mouth, as if to ask a question. But Momiji cut her off. He knew it was rude, but he didn't feel like listening to anything that could potentially ruin his current high.

"Ah, it's Yuki and Haru!" Momiji cried, stopping for a moment. "Are you heading back? Let's all get some ice cream!"

"Yes, ice cream!" Tohru chimed in.

Haru stared at them blankly for a moment, studying their intertwined hands and stupid smiles. Then he turned to Yuki. As Momiji and Tohru walked over, he could just catch what they were saying.

"Wonderful," Haru said without emotion. "From any angle, those two look like lovers. Congratulations."

"A look that will lead to misunderstandings," Yuki reminded. "They're just good friends."

Momiji's chest swelled with pride. If that was the case, he wished that the whole school would misunderstand. He wished the whole _planet_ would misunderstand. No, it wasn't even a misunderstanding. Momiji stole a peek at the beautiful girl beside him. If he had anything to say about it, one day the misunderstanding would become truth.


	25. Black or White

**A/N:** Well, I was GOING to use someone's idea and write a fight scene . . . but it didn't feel natural. I'll work on that you guys. Meanwhile, you'll just have to survive on meaningless fluff. Darn! :P

. . . . . OMG YOU GUYZ! HALFWAY! (thought i'd never get there.)

* * *

**39# Black and White**

Only stupidly foolish people in love would remember things like that . . . which is probably why Momiji could. All the little things stood out in his mind. For example, he remembered the first time he held Tohru's hand. It was early spring, not too long after he had entered the same high school as her. He remembered walking home with her, actually alone for once, and he remembered how long he stared at her hand out of the corner of his eye before he finally gathered the courage to reach for it. Before Tohru could ask what he was doing, Momiji exclaimed the first thing that popped in his mind to distract her.

"Eh? Tohru's hands are surprisingly cold!"

And it was true, but Momiji nonetheless felt a strong urge to slap himself for the lame declaration.

But it worked. Instead of immediately pulling away, Tohru seemed to momentarily forget about their intertwined fingers. She frowned in puzzlement. "Is that strange?" she asked, and judging from her expression, it was an honest question.

Momiji scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I mean . . . for such a warm person like Tohru, you'd normally expect them to have warm hands."

"Hana-chan and Uo-chan always complain that I have cold hands."

"Really?"

"Maybe it's just an opposite thing."

"Ehhhh?" Momiji poked her in the side, grinning when she jumped and squeaked. "But _I_ have warm hands. Do you think I'm actually a cold person?"

"Eh? EH? H-heaven's no!" Tohru gushed, shaking her head so wildly that her hair went flying. Then she paused, looking thoughtful. "Momiji-kun's hands _are_ warm, though."

"I told you."

"But it's a comfortable warm."

" . . . . . . okay?"

"It's not like the others," Tohru insisted when she saw Momiji's skeptical grin. "Yuki's hand isn't very warm at all, and Kyo's hand is so hot his touch almost burns."

Momiji raised an eyebrow at her. "You compare body temperatures of people?"

"Just their hands."

"Um—"

"Is that strange? It's strange, isn't it?"

"Yep!"

Tohru pouted at her feet.

It was quiet for a moment. Momiji was surprised that she was still letting him hold her hand. He experimentally gave their hands a couple of swings, but still she didn't pull away.

Momiji cleared his throat and turned his head so that Tohru couldn't see his blush. "Well, it doesn't matter. As long as my hand is the most comfortable, right?"

"Huh?"

"Oh look, Tohru!" Momiji said, changing the subject. "There's an ice cream vender over there! Let's check it out."

Tohru laughed as he pulled her along at a skip. And neither of them said anything when Momiji's hand finally slipped out of hers.


	26. Protection

**A/N:** Ughhh! So long! I hadn't meant to make it this long! And I probably rewrote this about three times, because I was never satisfied. I'm STILL not completely satisfied actually, but Ongaku no Usagi really wanted me to write about a fight scene. This one's for you! ^^ I hope it's not too bad. I tried my best. I really did.

Warning: drama and potential OOCness on the way T-T

* * *

49# Protection

"Ehh? You're leaving already?" Momiji asked curiously as Tohru put her neatly folded work clothes in her locker. After removing her bag, she shut the locker with a loud snap.

"Of course, Momiji-kun. I always leave at this hour," Tohru replied, throwing him a puzzled expression.

Momiji leaned to his left so that he could see past the corner and through the front glass doors of the building. "But Yuki's not here yet, is he? I don't see him waiting out there."

Tohru winced. "Ah, about that. Yuki caught a cold recently. I told him to stay in bed and not to worry about me."

"Really? I hadn't heard."

As usual, Momiji walked her outside, but then he hesitated. This was always the place he handed her off to Yuki, but now he didn't know what he was supposed to do.

"Can you walk home alone in the dark like this?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh! Don't worry about me! Everything's a-okay!" Tohru reassured with a wide smile.

"But—"

"Trust me, Momiji-kun." And Tohru gave an adorable little wink that immediately made Momiji clamp his mouth shut, lest he say something embarrassing. "I don't want to have to bother you." Then, with a cheerful bounce in her step, she descended the steps and waved to her friend. "Well, I'm off."

"Be safe." Momiji muttered, his eyes never leaving her back. Something felt wrong. Entirely wrong. He ran a hand through his hair, undecided.

* * *

Tohru was happily humming a tune as she made her way down the sidewalk. Really, it was so nice to have such good friends. Always worrying about her. It really tickled her inside. "But I'm fine," she said. "It's not that far away anyway."

It was getting darker. Not that Tohru minded. She liked the way the bright full moon looked in the darkness. It looked bigger than usual, and it was a pleasantly strange shade of pale orange, almost like a plump piece of fruit she could pick from the sky. She was so distracted as she admired the moon that she didn't notice the two men lingering at the street corner, at least not until one let out a loud whistle. But then her head snapped in their direction, and she realized that they were staring at her intently. A blush crossed her face, and her heart skipped for a moment when she recognized the bandanas they wore, signaling that they were a part of the yellow scarves, a gang that had been growing in popularity recently._ Should I cross the street and walk on the other side? _she wondered, but almost immediately she was shaking her head, shooting the idea down. _My mom was in a gang too. They aren't necessarily bad people. And if worse comes to worse, I'll even mention my mom. Maybe they'll have heard of her. _

"You having a nice walk, hon?" the skinny, gangly one called to her, grinning around his cigarette.

The way he said "hon" made Tohru cringe slightly, put she put on a cheery smile and replied, "Yes sir, I am. The moon's so pretty out tonight, isn't—?" But she was interrupted by the skinny guy guffawing madly.

"Hear that, Teppei? She called me sir," he laughed, elbowing his friend.

Teppei only grunted, but he did offer a slight, twisted smile. His hair was bleached, and it looked terrible next to the yellow bandana. "Ah," was all he said before tilting a bottle to his lips.

"A real lady, huh?"

"Ah."

"U-umm," Tohru stammered nervously. She gave them a quick bow and tried to walk quickly past them. "I wish you a good night."

"Now hold on, hon," the first guy said, enjoying this entirely too much as he grabbed Tohru's wrist and pulled her back to them. "Where are you off to in such a hurry? We haven't even done introductions."

"N-nice to meet you," Tohru squeaked, keeping her eyes down and wishing that he wouldn't hold her wrist so tightly.

"Gentle, Hanei," Teppei reminded a little smugly.

"_When_ have I _ever_ not been _gentle_?" Hanei asked in fake indignation. Then he turned his grin back on Tohru. "Unlike Teppei there, _I_ know how to treat a lady. For example, you never let a lady walk by herself at night." Tohru held her breath as Hanei's grin turned almost feral. "She could run into trouble. How about we accompany you home?"

Teppei finished the last of his bottle and carelessly chucked it over his shoulder. "I'm game."

"Ah! N-no, no, no! I could never ask you to do something so troublesome!" Tohru gushed.

But Hanei only laughed at her again. "So polite! It's hilarious. She strikes me as the _obedient_ type, what about you?"

Teppei started to match his companion's grin. "Ah."

"But seriously," Hanei continued persistently. He stepped a little closer to Tohru and held her wrist so tightly that Tohru almost cried out. Sweat stood out on her forehead. "I'm afraid we couldn't let a pretty little lady such as yourself go alone. Take us to your home. You could thank us later by showing us a good time."

Panicking, Tohru shut her eyes for a brief moment to gather her wits and think of what to do. But all of a sudden, Hanei's crushing grip vanished. Tohru opened her eyes again in shock, but found she wasn't looking into the hungry eyes of Hanei. Someone's back blocked her. A _blond _someone. And not disgustingly bleached like Teppei's hair. The golden locks were all natural and curls, and for a moment Tohru wondered if an angel had come to save her. But last time she checked, angels did not wear cutesy, bunny book bags.

"M-momiji-kun!" Tohru choked out in shock.

Momiji had pried Hanei's hand off of Tohru. He now gave it a menacing squeeze, as if to break all of Hanei's bones, before tossing it away. "She's not alone," Momiji stated, his expression dark. "I simply had to pick something up real quick, but now I'm back." His voice turned sarcastic now. "Thank you for your concern."

"Hey, hey. Chill, man," Hanei said, but his tone was also scathing. "Must be one of the jealous types. But don't fear. We were only getting _acquainted_." Hanei grabbed Tohru's shoulder, as if to pull her back. Tohru let out a startled squeak, and suddenly a fist was flying. Hanei staggered back in shock, holding the right side of his face.

Tohru jumped when she felt the arm wrap around her waist, but when she looked up, she realized it was only Momiji. "Not jealous," Momiji replied coolly. "Just possessive. I don't appreciate other men touching my girl, you know?"

Tohru flushed and stared at him, but his face was strangely blank and immobile. What was he talking about? And why was he acting so weird?

Teppei cracked his knuckles, edging forward. "Someone wants to get a little tough, eh?"

Momiji pushed Tohru out of the way and neatly dodged Teppei's swing. For a moment, the old Momiji returned, and he chuckled ruefully. "Ah ha ha. I'd rather it not get rough. I don't like fighting that much. And I haven't practiced martial arts since I was six." Momiji dodged again, although this time, it was more of a close call. He stumbled, slightly off balance. "Martial arts just seemed too sweaty and uncute, so I dropped it."

"Heh, pansy." And Teppei lunched forward. Reading his moves, Momiji ducked down a little and got up underneath him to toss him over Momiji's head. Teppei hit the asphalt with a loud _smack! _and rolled head over heels. Of to the side, Tohru gaped in shock. Strength must have been a genetic thing in the Sohma family, but she would have never have pegged Momiji to be as skilled as Haru or Yuki or the rest of them. Granted, Momiji did massage and roll his shoulder with a wince, as if the display had hurt him slightly due to him being so rusty.

Momiji stretched his back to pop it and then brushed off his hands. "Well, that's that. I'd rather you not get up again." He assumed a thoughtful pose that seemed way out of context for the current situation. "I'm not too sure I can pull that trick off again."

Tohru was too busy staring at Momiji in shock that she did not hear someone come up behind her. But then vice-like arms seized her and made her scream. Something that glinted in the street lamps was pressed against her throat, and feeling the cold metal against her skin, Tohru hardly dared to even swallow.

Momiji whirled around and visibly paled a few shades. His hands balled up into fists at his sides. "Let Tohru go," Momiji said through clenched teeth.

"Ahhh, Tohru," Hanei mumbled in the girl's ear. "So that's your name. You never did give it to me. And here I thought you were polite and all that crap. Well _Tohru_." With the knife still firmly placed against Tohru's throat, Hanei let his free hand wander down her side. "Nice to meet you. My name is Hanei. How are you?" And then, throwing a smirk over to Momiji, he had the gall to slip his hand up and under Tohru's shirt in order to explore. Tohru's breathing hitched. "I hope that we can be good friends in the future."

"I said let her go! Now!" Momiji repeated, but the dark cool from before was escaping his eyes. He only looked desperate now.

"Surely even you can share," Hanei said, nuzzling his face in Tohru's hair. "You say you're her boyfriend, but I bet you've never even gotten some, huh? Want me to give you a quick lesson?"

Momiji bristled in anger, but before he could say anything else, Teppei was back on his feet and hit Momiji in a cheap shot, since Momiji's back was turned. Caught in surprise, Momiji was knocked off his feet and hit the ground, nearly busting his head on the curb of the sidewalk.

"Momi—!" Tohru started to scream, but Hanei shushed her in a smooth voice.

"Well, Tohru, why don't we see how much this boyfriend of yours if worth?" he drawled. "I've been pretty bored anyway. Oi, you," Hanei said, addressing Momiji with eyes narrowed in disgust. "If you try to retaliate or make a move to defend yourself, this blade here might slip. I've never had a very steady hand. Got it?"

Grunting, Momiji pushed himself to his elbows and looked at Tohru. His dull eyes bored into her wide, frightened ones, and Tohru found herself terrified that she couldn't read what he was thinking. "Momiji-kun?" she stammered nervously.

He held the eye contact for a long time before slowly mumbling, "I understand."

A flash of cold went down Tohru's spine. "No . . . no wait, Momiji-kun!"

But Teppei already had him by the collar and was dragging Momiji to his feet. As soon as he was standing, Teppei punched him again, and Momiji hit the ground once more. Teppei grinned maniacally when he realized the punk seriously wasn't going to punch him right back.

"What are you doing, Momiji-kun?" Tohru screeched in horror. She started to twist and squirm in Hanei's arms, but it was futile. "Fight back!"

While Momiji was down, Teppei kicked him mercilessly in the side again and again, laughing the whole time. Momiji choked and groaned but made no attempt to roll out of harm's way.

"Aww, come on, Teppei. I'm already starting to get bored again," Hanei complained. He grabbed something lying on the sidewalk—a baseball bat—and tossed it to his companion. "Make it more interesting for the spectators, will ya?"

Tohru's heart beat out of control when she saw the baseball bat. "Momiji-kun, I'm begging you!" Tohru screamed, nearly crying now. "Get up! Get up and fight back!" She jerked away from Hanei a little too hard, and as a result the knife cut into her skin slightly. A cry of pain tumbled out of her lips, and then she cursed at herself for being weak. It would only make Momiji that much more resolute. "Let go! Momiji-kun!" She swallowed once before screaming, "_Momiji!_"

Blood was starting to fly. Tohru covered her eyes, still screaming his name. Her own blood roared in her ears, deafening her to almost everything . . .

No, it wasn't just her ears. There was actually something approaching. Sirens. Someone must have heard her screams and the fighting. Behind her, Hanei spat a few cusswords and threw her to the ground before taking off running. Tohru opened her eyes in shock only to be dazzled by flashing lights. It took a while for her eyes to adjust. When they did, she realized Teppei was also gone, but they were surrounded by police cars and police sirens and policemen running around with guns in their hands. It was like something out of a nightmare. But that turned out to be nothing compared to the sight of the motionless body crumpled up in the street.

"Momiji!" Tohru cried out, and she hurriedly crawled over to him. His eyes were closed, his body a confusing mess of blood and dirt and bruises. Her hands hovered over him hesitatingly, wanting to take away the pain. No. What she wanted more than anything was to hug him tightly and cry into his chest, but she couldn't. So she settled for clutching at his shirt in desperation, hanging her head and crying freely.

"Momiji . . . Momiji, answer me," she choked out in a hiccupping sob. "Momiji!"

To her relief, Momiji groaned, his head falling to one side. His eyes fluttered open and saw Tohru kneeling there. He spat out a bit of blood before offering her a broken, swollen smile. "Ha ha," he laughed weakly. "How was that?"

Too choked up for words, Tohru merely shook her head and snatched up Momiji's hand, pressing it against her cheek.

"I . . . may not be able to protect you against Akito," Momiji continued, still wearing that childish smile. "But I can protect you against everything else. Gangsters?" He coughed. "No problem."

"Ma'am," one police officer said, touching Tohru's shoulder sympathetically. "An ambulance has arrived."

The girl hardly heard him. Tohru scrubbed at her eyes impatiently, but the tears kept coming. "It's my entire fault! Momiji, I'm so sorry." She buried her face in his shirt, mindful to be gentle. Nonetheless, she felt him suck in his breath slightly, as if she had touched a tender spot. "I'm so sorry."

Momiji laughed weakly again as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Worth it."

"Ma'am, he really needs to be taken to the hospital immediately," the policeman persisted, trying to pull Tohru away. She almost resisted, but then gave in at the last minute. "Can I at least ride with him?" she begged earnestly.

She could hardly see the officer's expression. Her vision was so blurred by her tears. But he must have softened, for he consented to the tiny wish. Tohru felt sick as they loaded Momiji up into the ambulance, but she said not a word as she climbed in herself and kneeled next to him. It was extremely claustrophobic in there. Tohru felt uncomfortable. Her hand sought Momiji's to calm her down.

"What's with that face?" Momiji asked softly, looking up at her. "Do I really look that bad? That sucks. I'm pretty sure school pictures are next week."

Tohru said not a word.

Momiji sighed out and gave her hand a squeeze. "Tohru, I'm fine. Really. I'm alive. You're alive. So there's no one to blame."

"Why did you do it?" she asked quietly, staring at their hands intertwined together. "Why wouldn't you listen to me and fight back? Then you wouldn't have—" But Tohru quickly fell silent, not quite trusting her voice.

"Because apparently I'm your boyfriend," Momiji joked, but when he saw Tohru's pained expression, he immediately regretted it. "Sorry about that actually. It just sorta slipped out. I thought it might get those guys to back off, but I was wrong."

"But why?" Tohru insisted.

Momiji stared up at Tohru's red eyes. The sirens were earsplitting when inside the ambulance like this, but he didn't hear it. He paid no mind to the other two medics in the car with them, even when they pricked him and fussed over him. None of the panic and chaos existed. For all it was worth, Momiji might have been completely alone with Tohru, lying in his bed and listening to the cicadas outside his window.

"Because I would do anything to keep you safe, and nothing will ever change that," Momiji whispered, gazing at her sincerely.

Unable to take it anymore, Tohru leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a considerable number of her teardrops behind. But Momiji didn't mind. He smiled, even though it hurt, and closed his eyes in contentment.


	27. Windows of the Soul

**A/N:** Ughhh, major writer's block attack! I probably stared at the list of remaining prompts for about fifteen minutes. And even when i decided on one to do, i literally had to drag the words out of my head and onto the computer screen. So this is not my best. By a long shot. Hopefully today's just a bad day for me.

I'm still taking requests, by the way. I know someone requested a "sick" chapter, but because my writer's block was so bad, I decided to save it for another day. I'm sure you'll thank me later.

sigh . . . . I really wanted to write an amazing chapter to make it up to Momiji too. Oh well. Maybe next time.

* * *

**10# Windows of the Soul**

Momiji climbed upstairs and headed over to Tohru's room. He lifted his hand to knock, but then paused and glanced down. There was no light coming from within her room. Was she sleeping? Momiji probably should have turned around right there, but instead he slowly opened the door, wincing at the slight creak it made.

Yep, definitely asleep. Moonlight seeped through her blinds, but aside from that, the room was completely dark. He could see Tohru curled up under her sheets, her hair wild and messy but still somehow attractive. Something in his chest tightened, but at the same time, it did nothing of the sort. It was like he was two people at once. On one level, he was standing there in Tohru's room, living and breathing, but he could also feel himself as an out-of-body observer. He could see himself approach Tohru's bed, giving into a small temptation. He could see himself, when sitting on the corner of her bed and watching her sleep no longer satisfied him, crawl into the bed right beside her. He could see himself, when being in the same bed wasn't enough, slide a little closer to Tohru, wrapping his arms around her waist. Always moving, never thinking. Smiling softly as he breathed in to his heart's content the pleasant scent of Tohru's hair.

Tohru began to stir. Momiji felt her body tense in his arms. Still smiling as if he held a secret, Momiji leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Shhh. It's only me."

"M-momiji?" Tohru replied groggily. She was still half asleep and clearly bemused.

"Tohru-chaaaaaan," he whispered, his grin about to split his face in two. "There's something you need to know." He snuggled closer.

"H-huh?"

"It's . . . well . . ." How was he supposed to say it? "My curse . . . my curse has been lifted."

It was only then that Tohru came in full awareness of the arms embracing her. After a long pause, Tohru slowly rolled over to face Momiji. All the sleep had vanished from her wide eyes.

"W-w-what?" she stammered, shocked.

Momiji hugged her a little closer to him. "My curse is gone," he repeated, relishing every word. "I'm just a normal guy now." And because he couldn't help it, he added, "I don't ever have to let you go again."

The little hands on his chest began to tremble, and then her shoulders started to shake. She was crying? For him? That same achy, chest-tightening emotion from before washed over him. Momiji tilted Tohru's chin up and patiently wiped away her tears. Then he hugged her again, and Tohru returned in, burying her face in his shirt.

They must have fallen asleep like that . . .

But when Momiji opened his eyes again, it was not late evening, but morning. He was not in Tohru's bed, but his own. And in his arms rested, not Tohru, but a large white pillow. Momiji stared at it for a moment, disoriented. And as he embraced the pillow, he realized that he recognized that emotion he had felt in the dream.

It was longing.


	28. Release

**21# Release**

"You guys didn't have to come with me," Yuki sighed wearily.

"Oh, but I wanted to see Ayame-kun again. It's been a while," Tohru said cheerfully.

Haru reached his arm around Yuki's shoulder and leaned against him heavily. "Besides, we're your support. If it comes down to a fight, we've got your back."

"What are you talking about?" Yuki half-exclaimed, exasperated. "We're just coming to ask him how the costumes for the Cinderella play are coming."

"Wahhhh, I bet Ayame could make something really great," Momiji said with an energetic nod.

The four of them stopped in front of the store. Yuki hesitated, and before opening the door he turned to the others. Well, namely Tohru. "More importantly, it's a bit of a problem," Yuki remarked thoughtfully.

Tohru glanced around wildly before realizing that he was looking straight at her. She pointed to herself, her face falling. "I-I'm a problem?"

"Yuki! How rude! Tohru's not a problem!" Momiji exclaimed.

"I just mean, with Honda-san here, she's most likely to be attacked by Mine."

"A-a-attacked," Tohru repeated. With a blush, she remembered the last time she came. "Uwaaah," she mumbled.

Before anyone else could say anything, Momiji clicked his heels and saluted energetically. "Don't worry, Yuki!" Momiji said. He grabbed Tohru's hand and smiled at her reassuringly, albeit a little cheekily. "I'll protect Tohru from Mine's fiendish clutches!"

"Actually, it might be safer if Honda-san just waits outside," Yuki sighed, but Momiji didn't listen.

"I'll be like your knight in shining armor, Tohru!"

"M-momiji-kun," Tohru replied, nearly moved to tears.

. . . Haru just looked off in the distance.

Yuki cleared his throat. "Right then. I guess there's nothing left. Let's get this over with."

"Yuki sounds like he's about to experience boomsday or something," Momiji whispered mischievously in Tohru's ear.

"Huh?"

"You mean _doomsday_," Haru, who had overheard, corrected.

Momiji stuck his tongue out at Haru before they walked inside.

Except for nearly being assaulted by a sparkly prom-dress wearing Ayame ("but it's for a _man_," he insisted when catching yuki's i'm-disowning-you look), nothing out of the ordinary happened. Tohru, Haru, and Momiji lingered around the front desk area while Ayame took Yuki to the back to look at the costumes made so far.

"Is he going to be okay?" Haru wondered absentmindedly, standing in front of lingerie rack, his face passive.

Momiji didn't _exactly_ take his "knight business" to heart. He was too busy laughing and joking around with Tohru. Tohru kept a better watch than him. Her eyes were constantly darting around, making sure that no pair of round glasses were flashing in the shadows.

"What happened the last time you came here anyway?" Momiji asked curiously.

Tohru blushed. Unable to look him in the eyes, she stared at her twiddling thumbs. "Mine-san kidnapped me and forced me into embarrassing clothes that didn't suit me at all."

_Embarrassing clothes that didn't suit Tohru?_ Momiji wondered, thinking hard. _What in the world _wouldn't_ suit Tohru?_ But when his imagination started producing a Tohru with a little less clothes and a little more skin, Momiji quickly stopped that line of thinking, feeling a touch guilty. He laughed nervously.

"Ah ha ha, I wonder what that might have looked like," he said, hoping that Tohru didn't catch the wistful look in his eyes just then. But she didn't respond. "Tohru?"

Momiji turned to the left, where Tohru had been only a few seconds ago, and saw nothing but empty air.

". . . . . huh?"

"Oh look, Tohru found a new friend," Haru deadpanned, jerking his thumb towards the other side of the room, where a cutesy darkly chuckling maid was kidnapping a dazed, wide-eyed Tohru and dragging her to the dressing room.

"Ah! Tohru-chan!" Momiji cried out, running over. "Let her go!" But just before he reached the door, he heard a loud, satisfied _click!_ of the lock.

Momiji sagged in defeat. Looking over at his blond friend, Haru stated blankly, "You failed."

"Thanks _a lot_, Haru!" Momiji said sarcastically.

"Well, there's nothing better to do than wait for them to come out. Besides, I'm sure you actually want to see Tohru all dressed up, don't you?"

Momiji sat on a bench, his head in his hands as a wave of gloom crashed over him.

"I don't care, Nii-san!" Yuki exclaimed as he and Ayame came back to the main shop. "I don't need _four different costumes_. I'm hardly appearing _twice_ in the whole play!"

"But Yuuuuuki!" Ayame complained.

"Eh?" Yuki said, interrupting Ayame's protests. He looked around curiously before turning to Momiji and Haru. "Where's Honda-san?"

Momiji and Haru stared at him emotionlessly. As one, they pointed to the dressing room.

Yuki slumped over. "A-ah," he said, "Mine managed to snag her after all."

Ayame laughed dramatically. "But of course! Mine can sniff out a cute girl within a fifteen mile radius. Never underestimate her."

"Yuki," Momiji mumbled in a quiet, pleading voice. "What sort of clothes did Mine force Tohru into last time?"

"Huh? Oh, well it was nothing bad," Yuki answered, thinking back. "It was a modest, white dress with frills and lace. Sort of like what you might see some noble English lady wear. I just think it sort of mortified Honda-san is all. You know she's not used to being treated so . . . well, royally I guess."

Momiji perked up at that. Well then, it couldn't be that bad, right? Perhaps he had absolutely nothing to worry about.

"It's done!" a female voice cried out with a triumphant shriek. Momiji assumed it to be Mine.

"Oh? Well, what are you waiting for? Display it to us, forthright!" Ayame called, grinning like a cat.

The door clicked, finally releasing Tohru and Mine from their prison. Momiji lifted his head out of his hands to see . . . and immediately fell out of his chair, catching only a glimpse of a skin-tight red leotard, fish-net tights, foot-high high heels, and—to top it all off—a pair of red, fluffy bunny ears.

"Tada!" Mine exclaimed, flinging her arms out. She seemed extremely pleased with herself and her "victim," whose cheeks were nearly as red as the costume. "One bunny girl, at your service!"

* * *

**A/N:** Haha, look! They're the same "species" now. :P Honestly, I'm surprised there haven't been more bunny girl cracks with momijiXtohru. Isn't it almost like a given? -^.^- There you go, Momiji! Some fanservice to make it up for all the crap I put you through occasionally. I do love you deep down. Yep, yep!


	29. Technology

**A/N: **Just a quicky little drabble. I was re-reading the last volume of Fruits Baskets when this popped in my head. Lol, "Kyo's fickle!" And Momiji's evil face is actually sorta . . . sexy. XD

But there are no spoilers, don't worry.

* * *

**Technology**

When Momiji and Kagura had declared that they would be the "Break up Kyo and Tohru" team, they had been half joking of course.

. . . but if they were half joking, that meant they were also half serious. At least, they were according to Momiji's sound, flawless logic. And he took it to heart, even after Kagura had begun to lose interest.

"Momiji?" Tohru asked one afternoon. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, peering at his camera in puzzlement. "Why do you have so many pictures of Kyo-kun?"

Momiji quickly snatched it away from her, trying to laugh it off. "Do I? I didn't realize. Maybe someone else snagged my camera when I wasn't looking. Ah ha ha!" He quickly plugged the camera up to his computer and deleted everything on it . . . but not before discreetly saving the pictures in a secret file marked as "evidence."

That year Momiji had realized and understood the joys and wonders of Photoshop. Very well.

**:D**


	30. Secret Art

**A/N:** Jeez, what is my problem? I had this written _ages_ ago and never posted it. I could've given you guys an extra little tidbet before I left for the beach.

Oh well. It's here now. Anyone in the mood for sugary, cavity-inducing fluff?

I had kinda been hoping that I would finish these 50 prompts before I went back to school, but . . . I'm not sure that's gonna happen anymore. *smiles sheepishly*

* * *

**27# Secret Art**

Momiji had always been pretty loose with his feelings. It was an impulsiveness that had carried on through his childhood and into adulthood (as well as his nearly glutinous consumption of sweets and ice cream). He simply wasn't afraid to state how he felt. After all, that was one of the only ways to clearly get across your emotions and thoughts. As Momiji got closer to Tohru, however, he realized an astounding fact.

She was _shy_.

"I love you, Tohru," Momiji half sang as he got up to leave.

Blushing, Tohru stared at her hands and mumbled something.

Momiji couldn't help but sigh out in slight exasperation. When people were joking around, Tohru didn't mind saying it. She didn't mind saying it to family members either. He even heard her say it too all of her girl friends. But to her own boyfriend, the words suddenly seemed mortifying, as if Momiji had just asked her to dress up in a penguin suit and dance around.

"Come again?" Momiji said a little too innocently. "I didn't hear you."

Tohru blushed deeper. "M-me too," she stammered.

Momiji groaned and dramatically collapsed back in the sofa. "Oh, so you love yourself too, huh? Great, we have so much in common."

"Eh?" Tohru stared at him in bemusement, trying to figure out where she had messed up. Her adorable expression of upmost concentration was too cute. Momiji was tempted to laugh at her.

"Oh!" she exclaimed when she finally got it. "Oh no, I didn't mean it like that. I really meant . . . to you . . . I . . ." But Tohru trailed off in embarrassment.

"Tohru-cha~~~~n," Momiji whined. He grabbed her wrists, shackling them so she couldn't get away, and forced her to look at him. "You're supposed to say it back. It's not like it's hard or anything."

He looked her straight in the eyes, turning unusually serious and intense. Tohru gulped a little.

"I love you, Tohru. Now _you_ say it."

"U-uhh, I . . . um—well."

Momiji raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Do I need to _help_ you say it?" Mischievously, he leaned over to kiss her. He felt her jump slightly in surprise, but she returned it. Momiji placed her arms around his neck and shifted a little closer.

"Momi . . . ji!" Tohru managed to gasp out as the boy deepened the kiss.

"Hmmm?" He gently pushed her down on the sofa so that she was sprawled underneath him. "Did you say something?"

He moved down to her neck. Tohru gave a small shudder at almost every kiss he planted on her skin. "I love you," she gasped out hastily when he had reached her collarbone.

The magic words now said, Momiji reached up to peck her on the forehead and flash her a warm smile. "I love you too."

"I k-know," Tohru stammered with yet another blush. But Momiji didn't get off of her. "U-um, Momiji?"

"We do this almost every day, you know," Momiji pointed out. He grinned impishly. "I'm beginning to wonder if you're just stubborn on purpose. Maybe you just like this?"

"H-H-HEAVEN FORB-BID!" Tohru exclaimed in mortification, pushing Momiji off of her. Momiji laughed and consented. He stood up.

"Alright, alright. I'm leaving for real this time. I love you Tohru."

"Iloveyoutoomomiji!" Tohru said in a rush, as if she was answering a test question.

Momiji laughed again and patted her on the head. "I'm off."


	31. Walk Out

**A/N:** In my own (worthless) opinion, this is my take on what SHOULD have happened after Momiji got his curse removed. But of course, no one generally cares about what I think. :P I guess you could say this makes up for a previous chapter, huh?

Enjoy the fluff. I'm sorta on a roll now with the happy endings, eh?

* * *

**42# Walk Out**

Just another family dinner at Shigure's house. Momiji, Haru, and Kagura had joined them as well. The noise had reached an all time high as Shigure made a crack about Kyo being a pervert, as usual, and Haru took it upon himself to back Shigure up with cold hard evidence given in a composed monotone. As Kyo yelled and stomped about in agitation, Kagura desperately tried to calm him down by telling him she didn't mind perverts all that much anyway. Which only made Kyo even angrier. Yuki looked as though he was trying with all of his might to focus on the food, even as Haru leaned against him more and more. Tohru simply giggled cheerfully, rather thankful for the liveliness even though it might mean a headache later on. As she laughed, she expected to hear another voice joining with her, but after a few moments, she realized there was no other laughter. Tohru glanced over at Momiji, who sat next to her. He ate quietly. Actually, now that Tohru thought about it, she didn't think he had uttered a single thing throughout dinner. He had been acting weird at school as well. Was something wrong?

Momiji paused, his chopsticks halfway to his mouth, when he realized he was being stared at. He looked up at Tohru and offered her a smile. But it was a very small smile; one that didn't quite reached his eyes. It wasn't convincing in the slightest. Tohru set her bowl of rice down, feeling troubled.

Five minutes had not passed before Momiji finally stood up. Everyone looked at him and grew quiet. He waved at them with half the energy he usually carried, and forced a chuckle. "Thanks for the meal. It was delicious, Tohru. But I just remembered that there's something I have to do. I'll be leaving."

"Bye . . . Momiji-kun," Tohru said quietly as she watched him leave. Her eyes never left his back.

Once the front door closed, the talking resumed. Kyo propped his chin up with his elbow and scowled. "Da hell is his problem?"

"Kyo-kun!" Kagura scolded in a hushed voice, prodding his cheek with the end of her chopsticks.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?"

"Actually he really _has_ been acting strange. He was acting like this in class too," Haru explained over the sound of Kyo yelling.

"Really?" Yuki replied, while Tohru stared at half eaten rice worriedly.

Shigure waved it off though, completely unconcerned. "Awww, come on. It's just the woes of adolescents. Even Momiji can't be happy-go-lucky all the time. It's simply a phase. He'll come out of it eventually."

"Look how _concerned_ you are," Yuki remarked sarcastically.

"I think you're wrong, Sensei," Haru stated. "I think it's something more."

Tohru looked up to ask what he meant by that, but then she realized that Haru was gazing straight at her. It felt almost like a cue. Tohru's eyes fell, and she let out a sigh.

* * *

Momiji walked out of Shigure's home and through the woods. He had just reached the street when he thought he heard something calling his name. Momiji paused by a street lamp, straining his ears.

"—kun . . . . . Momiji-kun!"

Momiji finally identified the voice, and the realization made his shoulders slump over, almost in hopeless wonder. He chuckled as her footsteps neared him. "How did I know that you were going to follow me eventually?" he called aloud, never turning around.

Tohru came to a stop a couple of feet away, bent over and wheezing for breath. "Mo . . . Momiji . . . kun," she panted, but her throat was too dry to say much else.

"I'm sorry," Momiji said abruptly.

Tohru straightened up and stared at his back. "Eh?"

Neither of them moved for the longest time. Just when Tohru was starting to get a little fidgety, Momiji finally turned around and flashed her a terribly fake smile. Something in her chest hurt when she saw that smile.

"I know I must be worrying you, Tohru. I'm sorry," Momiji said. "I'm just . . . a little confused right now. So maybe it would be better if you left me alone?"

"I . . . I d-don't . . . understand," Tohru stammered meekly. "If there's something wrong, won't you just tell me? You know that you can tell me anything, right?"

Momiji's smile faded, and he looked away. "Huh," was all he said, which wasn't nearly satisfying enough for Tohru. "I wonder . . ." But he trailed off, clamping his mouth shut.

"Momiji-kun!" she insisted, taking a hesitant step forward. "What's wrong with you? Is it really that serious? I want to help!" But then Tohru caught herself, and she blushed at her audacity. Was she going too far? "U-uh, I mean . . . Uwahhh, I'm sorry. I'm being so rude by prying, I know. It's just that—well, seeing you so miserable like this . . . I hate it." She fell quiet, watching Momiji's face. He stared at the sidewalk for a little longer before letting out a long breath.

"I haven't told anyone else you know," he muttered.

Tohru waited anxiously, barely breathing.

"I guess you could say I'm sorta afraid of how the others will react. I wonder if they'll be mad at me. Or distance themselves from me. Or—"

"I won't hate you for it," Tohru whispered quietly, even though she had no idea what it could be.

That made Momiji freeze for a moment. Then he looked at her, _really_ looked at her, and smiled a smile that didn't look so painful. "I know," he said. He bit his lip, contemplating how he should tell her. "Just . . . just hold still okay? And close your eyes," he added, sounding nervous as he ran a hand through his hair.

Tohru lifted her eyebrows in confusion, but consented. As she waited with her eyes closed, she could hear and sense Momiji shifting a little closer. He was right in front of her. Tohru kept imagining that she could feel his body heat radiating out and washing over her. The girl felt like taking a step back, but she obediently held very still.

Lips pressed against her forehead. Tohru sucked in her breath in shock. A hand gently alighted down on her cheek, as if in an afterthought. Tohru could feel Momiji staring at her, speculating the blush that rose in intensity as Tohru felt his thumb rub her cheek back and forth. But then, Momiji did something that made Tohru forget about everything else.

He hugged her.

She waited, limp in his arms. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Tohru gasped aloud, and she couldn't help herself anymore. Her eyes shot open, and she gently pushed Momiji away so that she could meet his eyes. So that he could read the question on her face that she was too stunned to speak aloud.

Momiji's expression softened. "Yeah," he mumbled. "My curse has been lifted."

Tohru gaped at him, not moving. She looked extremely pale as her hands slowly lifted to cover her mouth. Then with a sob, Tohru leaped for Momiji. Her arms latched around his neck as she started to cry uncontrollably. Momiji tensed up in surprise.

"Momiji-kun . . . Momiji!" Tohru choked out. "I'm so . . . so very glad." But that felt like the understatement of the year. But what else was there to say? "You did it," she whispered, still crying. Though that didn't feel quite like the correct response either.

"Yep," he sighed, relaxing and hugging Tohru back. "I'm officially cut from the Jyuunishi. Akito hates me even more now, and the others might start to shun me as well. I already feel so different. Like an outcast, or something. I feel happy, but unbearably depressed. I feel free, but agonizingly lonely. It's nothing short of . . . confusing."

Momiji held her tighter and ran his fingers through her long hair. "But of course," Momiji whispered in her ear, "all of these thoughts and feelings came a lot later, after I had had a few hours for it to sink in." He paused for a moment before loosening his hold on her and lifting her chin up. "Tell me, Tohru," Momiji said, his eyes drilling into hers. "Even as Akito challenged me. Even as he cried at me and screamed for me not to go away—why was the first thing I thought about after getting my curse removed . . . why did I first think of _you_?"

Tohru reached up to wipe away her tears, but Momiji beat her to it. With the back of his hand, he swiped them away. "I feel almost like I'm breaking inside, Tohru," he said, his voice shaking. "I thought I felt it before, but now that I'm free, now that I'm completely alone and abandoned, I feel it so much that I think I might explode at any second. Tohru . . ." he trailed off, looking almost frustrated when he couldn't find the words. Tohru felt a fresh wave of tears coming on, but before she could let out a single sob, Momiji's lips were on hers.

Her first kiss . . .

His mouth was gentle, but it also felt as though he were straining against something. He held her close without fear now, their bodies pressed against each other. It was too much. Tohru felt overwhelmed. Tohru felt dizzy. Her knees were on the verge of buckling, but Momiji held her up.

Momiji finally broke the kiss, and he touched his forehead to Tohru's. As if he couldn't stand to go even a second without touching her now that the curse had been removed. "I'm not an idiot," Momiji said in a cross between laughter and a groan. "I know you've held feelings for Kyo. But I can't bear to give you up. Tohru, with the way that I am now, I can give you so much more than can a person of the Jyuunishi. I can make you happier than Kyo. So please." He was trembling all over. "Tohru, please. Would you . . . will you be . . . ?" But the words wouldn't come out.

He looked so vulnerable, so earnest. He had given his heart to Tohru for her to hold or forsake. And Tohru had never realized. Not until then. She had never realized what he might have felt for her. How he was always watching her. How much pain he must have gone through when he saw her and Kyo together. She had never meant to hurt him.

This was the little boy she had found one day at work, a kid who teased her in German and kissed her on the cheek just to laugh at how flustered she became. But now he was grown, and he wasn't laughing. He was serious. Tohru had thought of Momiji as one of her best guy friends, almost like a brother, but now seeing him like this . . .

"You're so quiet," Momiji whispered as he took her hands. He kissed the back of them both and brought them to his face so that he could relish their soft warm. He closed his eyes and asked, "Have I said too much? Am I confusing you?"

"Yes," Tohru admitted.

"But I'm sure I'm _much_ more confused than you are right now."

Quietly, Tohru chuckled at his childish challenge. Then she slipped her hands out from underneath his. As soon as her touch disappeared, Momiji's face fell and turned bitter. But Tohru didn't stop. She reached up and delicately ran her fingers through his soft curls. Drawing in a breath in a vain attempt to calm herself, she stood up on tiptoe and leaned towards the lips that were just beginning to curl up in hope.

The second kiss was shorter, mainly because Tohru was beginning to feel embarrassed. She rolled back down to her heels, her face beet-red. Momiji didn't seem to mind though. When he opened his eyes again, there was an excited twinkle in them that hadn't been there before. He was positively beaming, and the attitude was infectious. Tohru couldn't help but shyly grin right back at him.

"So I'm guessing that was a—?"

"Yes," Tohru said quickly.

Momiji's smile widened. "That's good. I hadn't exactly planned on what I was going to do if you said no," he laughed ruefully. He pulled Tohru in for another hug, apologizing when he did so. "It's just, I don't know if I can ever get over that," he explained. "Finally being able to hold the one I love."

"It's fine," Tohru replied, snuggling even closer to him. "I don't mind."


	32. If Only

**A/N:** Takes place when the gang go to the Hot Springs for White Day. Just a little peek at how our favorite little bunny might have spent the night with our favorite little onigiri. ^^

* * *

14# "If only . . ."

First off, it was intended as a _joke_.

Momiji peeked up over the covers. But no. It wasn't a dream. Tohru was sound asleep, lying next to him on the futon. Breathing peaceful. Completely unaware. A soft smile on her lips.

Momiji let out a rueful sigh. He supposed it was because of his height, or maybe because of his personality. Whatever it was, this Tohru person _obviously_ didn't consider him as a man. Otherwise she never would have agreed to this so willingly. Because she _certainly_ didn't seem like a slut, not in the slightest.

_Her skin looks so soft and white in the moonlight like this . . ._

That thought—just one of many disturbing thoughts that had been popping up in his head as of late—made Momiji flush deeply, and he pulled the covers over his head again. He must have done it a thousand times already. Hiding, peeking, hiding again in shame. Or maybe just embarrassment. For some reason, this girl was driving him insane, and he couldn't help but fidget and toss and turn, his mind running wild.

It was just a joke.

It had always been a joke, from the minute he met her. Momiji simply liked teasing her to see how far she would jump. Okay sure, she was sorta cute, but she was just a random non-Sohma after all. Nothing special, supposedly.

But apparently spending the night in the same bed changes your opinion of people.

With his head still underneath the covers, Momiji thought to himself, _I wonder what it'd be like to cuddle with her. She seems like she'd be pretty warm. _Almost out of instinct, Momiji blindly reached out for her. But his fingers accidentally brushed across her chest, and he quickly recoiled back, his ears red. _What am I thinking? I'm a Jyuunishi. If I hugged her, I'd only transform. And I'd really rather not wake up the next morning naked. That's just too much. _Momiji grinned, torn between feeling aggrieved and mischievous. _I wonder if she'd think of me as a man then?_

Tohru let out a sleepy groan, which nearly made Momiji jump out of his skin, and she rolled over to face him. Momiji didn't relax again until he was absolutely sure she was asleep.

_This is insane. If I don't calm down I'll never get any sleep._

But instead of closing his eyes, Momiji pushed the bangs out of Tohru's face with an odd sort of fascination. Barely breathing, he let his fingers gently trace her features.

He had been right. Her skin _was_ soft.

Momiji's heartbeat gradually began to slow. His hand slipped down the curve of her neck and paused for a moment on top of Tohru's right arm. Such a small, skinny, delicate arm. The temptation to hold her returned. He closed his eyes.

"If only . . ."

One by one, Momiji lifted his fingers off of her. He reluctantly returned his hand to his side and willed himself to go to sleep. But now there was a smile on his lips as well.

And he might not have realized then, being caught up in the moment like that. Most people never do. But hindsight makes everything clearer. Years later when Momiji looked back, he understood. In that night, in that moment . . .

That was when he first fell in love.


	33. My Happy Ending

**A/N: **Well, I'm doing it for my other fic, Crystal Clear, so I figure I might do it for this fic as well. To thank everyone for reading and reviewing. I don't know how else I could have made it this far. So, to whoever is the 107th reviewer, I will do a fanfic request. (why 107? BECAUSE I CAN!) i'll accept any offer . . . except yaoi, yuri, or lemon. and i'll do any pairing, situation, genre, whatever. It can even be from an anime outside of Fruits Basket. (but only if i'm familiar with it. something like Ouran Host Club, Soul Eater, Durarara!, FMA, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Hana Kimi, Honey and Clover, or Bleach are fine with me.)

Another future fic. Momiji's in college. (and Tohru's not, she's happily working two part time jobs) As to where they're going, as usual, I have absolutely no idea. ^^ I just see these as little scenerios in my head.

* * *

**9# My Happy Ending**

"I've decided," Momiji said out of the blue.

Tohru, who had been looking out the window and admiring the scenery, turned back to Momiji. He was sitting opposite her on the train bench, facing her. At first when he had chosen that seat, she had wondered at the distance. It wasn't like he had the curse or anything to hold him back. No, even with the curse, he had always been somewhat dense in the area of personal space. Of course, she hadn't noticed the way his seat gave him the perfect vantage point, and how his eyes had hardly ever left her, even when Tohru had pointed out various landscapes of interest.

"What have you decided?" Tohru asked, cocking her head in confusion. Her hands were on her knees, absentmindedly fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

"What I want to do when I get out of college," Momiji explained, folding his arms. He paused, and then flashed a sheepish grin. "Well . . . maybe not completely. But I do know that I want to travel the world."

Tohru smiled and glanced wistfully out the window again. "Ah, I'm sure that would be nice." Said Tohru, who had never been out of the country. Who had hardly traveled around at all until she met the Sohmas and they spoiled her with several family vacations.

Momiji stretched, and Tohru could hear some of his joints popping. They had been riding for a while now. She felt stiff as well.

"Germany would be the first stop, of course," Momiji said. His eyes went glassy as he saw through the train and to all the places he would see. "I haven't been there in a while. But I'd also like to visit other places. America. France. Italy. Russia." He waggled his eyebrows and lowered his voice for emphasis. "Australia."

Tohru giggled. She could all too well picture Momiji bouncing around with a bunch of kangaroos. And he'd probably bring back a koala backpack as a souvenir.

"And I'd want to do it with someone. A partner. Preferably the love of my life."

"Right," Tohru agreed with a bob of her head, smiling as she continued to think of Momiji's worldly adventures. Momiji dancing on the Great Wall of China. Momiji swinging from vines in Costa Rica. Momiji being chased by lions in Africa because he wanted that "perfect shot."

"And we'd go everywhere together. We would do everything together. We would _eat _everything together, all the sweets the world has to offer."

"Right."

"We would live life to the fullest. Watch every foreign sunrise. See every distant sunset. Walk on unfamiliar beaches under the moonlight."

"Right."

"And . . . I want my partner to be you."

"Righ—" Tohru broke off in mid nod. Without breathing, she slowly lifted her head up to meet Momiji's eyes. His head was propped up casually with his elbow, his face gentle.

"I lied," he murmured as he reached into his jacket pocket and plopped something down into Tohru's unsuspecting lap. "What I really want to do with my life is be with you. Traveling the world is just a little plus."

Tohru swallowed. She almost didn't want to look down at her lap. But she did. As her bottom lip quivered, the rich red hue of the small box seemed to make everything else around her look dull and bland. As if it had stolen all of the colors out of the world.

"Would you put down everything and come follow me?" Momiji whispered, watching her expression carefully.

The young woman didn't trust herself to speak right away, so she remained quiet. She knew Momiji would wait with that soft, understanding look of his. In the silence, Tohru's heart picked up, beating faster, faster, faster!

Tohru abruptly stood up and choked out, "I-I—!" But then the train turned, and Tohru, caught off guard, tumbled forward with a surprised squeak. Momiji quickly caught her and threw her a worried look.

"Tohru? Tohru, are you alright?"

She stammered a dazed apology. Momiji chuckled. "I've heard of girls throwing themselves at guys when they get proposed to, but that just seemed a little over the top." Momiji looked around and spotted the box on the floor. He picked it up before it could go sliding under the seats. "Look. You even dropped your ring in all of your—"

"Yes," Tohru mumbled, hugging Momiji's neck tightly.

But her mouth was muffled by Momiji's jacket. He didn't hear.

"Come again?"

Tohru hesitated, blushing furiously. Then she snatched the box out of Momiji's hand and fumbled with the ring. "Yes!"

Momiji's lips caught hers. Tohru froze, and then melted into the kiss. Momiji finished slipping the ring on her finger. Then he bent his head and kissed the ring too. "I'm glad," he said, squeezing her hand.


	34. Cross Dressing

**33# Cross Dressing**

"It's going to be a girl," Tohru said resolutely every time someone inquired of her growing belly. "I can feel it."

One time, Momiji asked her how she was so sure. Tohru's expression went all melty then, and she explained that several months before, she had a dream where she met her baby girl. And she had known that the girl's name was Sora. A week after the dream, Tohru had found out that she was pregnant. She considered the dream to be prophetic, and Momiji had to admit, her steadfast certainty was rather catchable. So, even early on in the pregnancy, Tohru and Momiji couldn't resist walking into baby stores, and when they saw the cutesy, lacy dresses and the tiny, pink shoes, they couldn't help but buy something every now and then. On a whim one day, Momiji decided to paint the study that they had converted into the baby room, coating the walls with a soft lilac. Tohru splurged on some princess diapers.

And then came the due date.

After the chaos had died down a little and the first wave of starry-eyed visitors had cleared out to give Tohru some rest, the room was finally quiet. Momiji was sitting in a chair, rocking his sleeping child for the first time, drowning in pride and paternal affection, when he looked over at Tohru and noticed the new mother with her face in her hands.

"Tohru? What's wrong?"

Tohru seemed to slump over even more. "I'm such a horrible parent! I've only been one for a few hours and I'm already so horrible!"

Momiji smiled ruefully. "Don't feel bad, love. It was such a strong hunch. But I guess now we now to ask the doctor the gender before we go all out, eh?"

"Uwahhhh," Tohru mumbled, flushing with embarrassment.

"Sora can be a boy name too," Momiji pointed out, trying to be helpful.

"B-b-but . . . b-but—!"

"Tohru, I'm pretty sure our son won't hate us when he finds out he spent his first year of life cross dressing."

Tohru glanced guiltily at her child and winced. "I'm such a horrible parent."

* * *

**A/N:** Imagining Tohru and Momiji with their first child makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. -^.^-

This actually sorta happened to me in a way. EVERYONE swore that I was going to be a boy and kept buying me blue clothes and stuff. I tell everyone that will listen that that's why I love blue and despise pink. But I guess I didn't have it so bad. I wasn't a boy baby wearing frilly, rose dresses. XDDDD Can you imagine the blackmail saved for future girlfriends? lol!

I'm running out of steam. T-T I have 15 or so more prompts to do. (is too lazy to actually look up the number) I was hoping that I'd finish this before school started, but there's no way that THAT'S happening. Sighz.

Oooo, so close to 107 reviews. Who's gonna get there first?


	35. Pain Relief

**A/N: **Wow. I've been on a bit of a fluff roll recently. (fluff roll? what is that? some sort of exotic new sushi?) My first day of school was today, so to be honest, I was really tired and didn't want to write this. But I kicked myself until it was all forced out. You better appreciate it.

Anyone else laugh at the supposedly romantic, but completely unrealistic moments in shojou manga? ^^ Stop giving future generations such fanciful delusions. Our love lives might be more normal . . . well, at least MINE would.

* * *

22# Pain Relief

"Alright . . . I admit it. That was a stupid idea."

Tohru clicked her teeth worriedly as she gingerly pressed the ice to Momiji's forehead.

"I blame shoujou manga. They're always so unrealistic."

A stray leaf sticking out of his blond curls caught her attention, and she brushed it away and generally fussed over him.

"Not that I _read_ that sort of sap. I'm too _manly _for that."

"Momiji?"

He opened his eyes and threw her a sheepish look. "Okay, maybe just a _little_, but I assure you it's only for the cute 2-D girls! And fan service never hurt anyone, right?"

Tohru stared at him for a moment before bashfully averting her gaze. Momiji could tell that she was still a bit flustered from _recent events_. She twiddled with her thumbs and said in a quiet voice, "M-maybe . . . maybe it's because I weigh too much?"

Momiji laughed at her, but quickly stopped when it made his achy head throb. "No, it's just because I'm an idiot," he said, while making a mental note to himself.

_Telling your girlfriend to stand on top of a high wall and catch her for the heck of it=_**STUPID IDEA**

But somehow Momiji couldn't get enough of the stupid ideas and mushy clichés. They all proved the fact that his curse was removed . . . and that he finally had the girl of his dreams by his side.

_I wonder if she thinks I'm weird yet_, the boy wondered idly. _Or maybe she's tired of my strange little fantasies?_

"Tohru-chaaaaan, it still hurts," Momiji pouted. "Can you kiss it to make it better?"

"Eh?" Tohru paused for a moment, blinking and blushing in surprise. Momiji noted in amusement how she shyly, but discreetly, checked the surrounding area to see if the coast was clear. This task taken care of, she leaned in and kissed him. But not on the red lump that was swelling on Momiji's forehead.

Momiji caught her lips with relish, thinking to himself, _Nahhh, she's not sick of me yet. _


	36. Rumors

**A/N: **Lol. Last chapter, some person (i'm sorry, i can't remember who) reviewed and said that now that I started school, all my oneshots would probably turn angsty again (because school sucks the life out of you)

. . . . . . . well, s/he was sorta right.

don't shoot me! T-T it was the first thing that popped into my head after all.

and momiji has no curse at this moment. this is the BIG momiji. ^^

mehhh . . . i kinda lost interest towards the end. can you tell?

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5# Rumors

". . . I always had this suspicion about her."

"Someone told me that she actually lives with three of the Sohmas, all men."

"Well, she's got no mom, right? Money issues might lead the empty-headed to _sell _themselves."

Tohru stood there, pale hands clutching at her bag, dull eyes staring above her.

"Mom or no mom, does it matter? I heard her mom was in a gang anyway."

"And she always seemed so nice . . ."

"It was obviously just a ploy."

Tohru was finding it hard to breathe. A wall of people surrounded her, and yet she was utterly alone due to the safe distance they separated themselves from her. As if she had a _disease_.

"No wonder she was so close to the Sohma boys at school."

"You never see her hanging out with _female _Sohmas. I wonder if they all hate her."

"Or do they even know that the Sohma family has their own closet pet?"

"I always had this suspicion about her. I really did!"

"Oi, Honda!" One of her sempai actually broke the circle and approached her. She did not meet his eye, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too busy getting out his wallet. Wafting a twenty in front of her nose, he grinned bitingly and said, "I ain't anything compared to those rich Sohmas, but I'm sure even _this_ is enough, right?"

The girl broke.

Bursting out into tears, Tohru ran the other way. The wall of smirking students parted for her, but then she ran into someone that held her tight. Her head snapped up in shock and she caught her breath. Suddenly she found herself face to face with Momiji.

"T-tohru?" he stammered, caught off guard. His brown eyes took in her wet cheeks for five full seconds and then strayed over to the wall. Momiji's mouth slowly fell open when he saw it. A long banner. Messily written in red paint were the words "TOHRU HONDA IS A WHORE." Other vulgar commentary and crude drawings had been added to it over the course of the day.

"No way," Momiji breathed out, stunned.

Tohru cried harder, burying her face in her hands.

"This has Prince Yuki club written all over it," someone said darkly.

A chill went down Momiji's spine as he felt two distinctly murderous auras approach him. Hanajima and Uotoni flanked him, glaring up at the banner as if their eyes were flamethrowers. A little nervously, Momiji held Tohru tighter. For the most part, he liked her two best friends . . . but they were terrifying when they were angry.

"Momiji," Uotoni growled.

"Y-yes?" he replied, suppressing a shudder.

"Take Tohru-kun outside."

"This could get messy," Hanajima deadpanned.

Uotoni barked out a laugh, and now all the spectators were shifting around uneasily and making excuses to leave as well. "I'm impressed, Saki. You're not one to usually care for leaving evidence."

Hanajima's lips tightened into a grin, and she let out a single chuckle that was more frightening than any word she could have spoken in reply.

Taking the hint, and wanting to get Tohru far away from the disaster, Momiji hurriedly ushered Tohru outside. He led her to a deserted courtyard and sat her down on the edge of the fountain. She was still crying, but quietly now.

"Tohru?"

Tohru ducked down so that he could not see her face.

Momiji ran his hand through his hair, feeling awkward, and he sighed out as he plopped down beside her. His eyes kept darting over to her, but he didn't touch her. He didn't know _what_ to do. After all, what do you _say_ to a person at a time like this?

After flicking at a leaf for a bit, Momiji angled a little away from Tohru and cleared his throat. "Was it true?"

Tohru shook her head wildly, her hair flying. "N-no," she stammered. "Heaven forbid, no."

"Then I believe you," Momiji stated simply.

"Eh?" Tohru threw a discreet glance at Momiji's back.

"And there's no doubt that Hanajima and Uotoni believe you. Only an idiot wouldn't, to be honest."

"Momiji . . ."

But Momiji kept talking. "And Yuki will probably estrange himself from any Prince Yuki fan club member who thinks otherwise. And if guys give you any crap, Kyo will be there to beat them up. Haru might too, but that be bad if he turned 'black' and wound up murdering someone."

Tohru winced.

Momiji fidgeted a little. "And I—well, I can't do all that much." He laughed ruefully, scratching the back of his neck. "But . . . you're more than welcome to come running to my arms anytime. It's not a burden or anything like that."

Slowly, their eyes met. They held each other's gazes for a moment before Momiji turned his head and fished out something from his blazer pocket. Tohru tensed for a moment, thinking of the boy who had pulled out his wallet. But she needn't have worried. "Here," Momiji said, offering her a handkerchief with pink bunny print. With a wink he told her gently, "Your face is a mess."

For a moment, it looked like Tohru was going to start crying again. But she only sniffed and took the handkerchief, mopping at her eyes. "Th-th-thank you," she said.

Momiji stretched and then let an arm alight down on Tohru's shoulders. He slumped against her lazily and sighed, "Ahhhh, but now I don't really want to go class. Wanna skip with me?"

Tohru blinked in surprise. "I don't—"

"Awww, but we can go get ice cream or something!" Momiji whined playfully.

A soft smile spread across Tohru's lips. "W-well . . . I don't think one day could hurt."

"Yay! Let's go, let's go!" And Momiji snatched up her hand and dragged her away. And just like that, with Tohru's eyes still red and puffy, they got ice cream. Momiji paid extra so that Tohru could get an extra scoop.

Tohru decided that ice cream had never tasted as good as it did that day.


	37. Wait a Minute

**A/N:** Well, I was shopping at Michael's the other day, and I realized that they already had their Halloween stuff out. (so typical really) And Halloween makes me think of costumes so . . . .

Do enjoy. ^^

* * *

**#29 "Wait a Minute"**

Momiji sighed out for the umpteenth time. He ran his free hand through his blond curls in an effort to stay calm as his other hand tightened against the phone. "Yes, I _understand _that. But you know just as well as I that . . ."

When his whiny coworker ( if he was really even on the same level as Momiji) interrupted him again, Momiji rolled his eyes and only half listened. The front door shut. From his position at the kitchen counter, he leaned to the left a little and saw Tohru walking in, her arms full of bags and a sleepy, blond toddler. The worker's voice faded into insignificance as Momiji watched the two, a soft smile on his face. Tohru set little Sora down and glanced in Momiji's way.

"Wait a minute," Momiji mouthed to her, holding up an apologetic finger.

Tohru shook her head in sympathy, knowing instantly that it was work problems, as usual. When Momiji was on call, it seemed like he never got a moment of peace. She took Sora upstairs and put him to bed, and then she headed back down and purposefully set the bags on the kitchen table. Momiji noticed that they were from that popular holiday store. Halloween was fast approaching. Maybe she bought some candy for the neighbor kids?

"No, no. You shouldn't put it _there_. Look, you're making a bigger deal out of it than it really has to be," Momiji said in exasperation. But then Tohru waved at him to get his attention, and he cocked his head at her curiously as the company worker continued to complain and whine.

Tohru made a big show of rummaging through the bags, and then she pulled out one purchase in particular, displaying it and wiggling her fingers as if to shout "Ta da!"

At first, Momiji only chuckled. But the more he stared at it, the more ridiculous it was. He tilted his head back and laughed out loud, much to the confusion of the person on the other line.

"W-what?" Momiji said, still laughing. "What . . . ? Oh, uh . . . let me call you back in about five minutes. Family issues, you know." He hung up before the other person could protest and placed a big kiss on Tohru's forehead. "I can't believe you," he told her, grinning widely.

"Well, we _had_ talked about maybe taking Sora out for his first Halloween excursion. He would need a costume, wouldn't he?"

"You're absolutely right."

"And he picked this out himself, actually."

Momiji appraised the small yellow bunny costume, shaking his head in wonder and disbelief. "Like father, like son," he said, puffing out his chest in pride.


	38. Chaos

**A/N:** So, someone gave me a request . . . and I delivered. ^^

Sorry it's been a while since I last updated. School is _crazy_.

* * *

**19# Chaos**

Occasionally in a man's life, especially during the period of adolescence, there are moments that are just simply unforgettable.

_Oh craaaaap. How is that even _fair?

_Well . . . I guess they did _warn_ me, but I didn't think—_

"Momiji-kuuuun!" Tohru sang when she saw them. She waved with an excited giggle and headed over.

_Oh no, don't _run_ to me like that! You're too . . . bouncy._

"What do you think, Momiji-kun?" Tohru asked, beaming as she twirled and showed off her new bikini. "Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, Uo-chan and Hana-chan chipped in and bought this for me. I'm so grateful."

Momiji stared at Tohru, his mouth slightly open, lost for words. Haru threw him a side-long glance and decided to help in his own special way.

"Uwahhh! Haru! That hurt!" Momiji protested, clutching his head where Haru had hit him.

"You were spacing out," the cow deadpanned. "Tohru was asking you a question."

Momiji pouted a little, but then he reluctantly turned to face Tohru again. Forcing a weak, shaky smile on his face, he said, "You look . . . great. _Really_ great."

"Thank you very much," she sang.

Momiji blushed. To hide his red face, he turned around and jumped in the air, yelling in excitement. Then he grabbed Tohru's hand and half dragged her down to the breakers. "Come on, Tohru! Let's go for a swim! Swimming, swimming!"


	39. Desolation

**A/N:** I'm almost in the home-stretch, but my imagination's running on empty. Seriously, I stare and I stare and I stare at the list of prompts and nothing ever comes to mind. Maybe THAT'S why I saved those prompts for last. (winces) So by no means is this my best.

And I remember reading a Fruits Basket fanfic once where Machi and Momiji and Haru were all together in the same class and were buddies. (mabudachi trio! ftw!) So that was what I had in mind when I wrote this. (wow, Machi and Haru would make such a pair ^^ )

* * *

**31# Desolation**

_Slam!_

The entire classroom froze at the noise. Nervous glances were thrown in the direction of the blond who had just collapsed over his desk dramatically, and then the whispering-behind-the-hand ritual began. The blond, seemingly deaf to the murmurs, didn't move.

Machi blinked and leaned over to Haru's desk, her face impassive. "Is something wrong with Momiji-san this morning?" she whispered.

"Hnn?" Haru replied, his face just as emotionless. "Well, I think he skipped out on the chocolate glazed doughnuts with sprinkles and the cinnamon buns this morning."

"Ah, so it's blood sugar."

So went the verdict of class 2-A's stoic brigade.

They blankly stared at the immobile blond a little longer.

Machi pulled out a box of pockies (which she had made sure to shake up a little, so that some might be broken) and timidly offered them to Momiji. But Momiji only shook his head and buried his face in his arms. Surprised, Machi withdrew her box and munched on a few for herself. "Maybe it's not sugar then?"

They blankly stared at Momiji a little more.

"Actually," Haru remarked after a short pause.

"What?"

"Hmmm . . . yep. It all makes sense now."

Machi cocked her head in confusion.

Haru nodded and folded his arms. "Today was the day Tohru and Kyo officially started dating."

Machi's eyes flooded with understanding and sympathy. "Ahhh."

"WAHHHH!" Momiji yelled, making the two jump—well, making Machi jump. Haru didn't flinch in the slightest.

Momiji flung his arms in the air, exclaiming to no one in particular, "It doesn't even make any sense! Why him? All he ever does is make her cry anyway! This isn't some sort of sappy shojo manga! The princess shouldn't have to go with the angst character! It's fine to be with the lovable, cross-dressing, cute-type too, right? Right?" Momiji gritted his teeth, dug his fingers into his hair, and then collapsed over the desk again, lifeless.

Third time's a charm, so Haru and Machi stared some _more_.

"I feel bad for Momiji-san."

"Ah."


	40. Never Give Up!

**A/N:** Ahem . . . .

FORTY PROMPTS DONE AND OVER WITH! WOOT!

this is just out of sheer curiosity y'all. do people ever finish these writing prompts? i swear, everytime i get into a good fanfic based off of 50 or a 100 prompts or whatever, they always seem to stop mid-way or so. i don't want to be like that. i want to finish everything i start (even though it takes me forever)

i was listening to "Braille" by Regina Spektor while writing this. completely unrelated, but the melancholic, sorrowfulness might have infected my prompt a little bit . . . or a lot.

**

* * *

**

**34# "Never Give Up!"**

He did it out of habit more than anything else. Even though the "Break up Kyo and Tohru" team had sort of died a long time, Momiji couldn't help but wander over to Kagura's house once a week, every Friday. And every time, Kagura would sprawl out on her bed, flipping through magazines or pictures. And Momiji would take his usual seat at her desk, absentmindedly playing on the computer or sometimes even simply spinning around and around in her chair, not thinking about anything in particular. These days, they hardly said anything. And at five, Momiji would leave, occasionally without saying more than ten words the entire time.

But habits were hard to break, so Momiji continued to plod along towards her house—

—and suddenly stopped, lifting his head. He saw Kagura standing at the front door with another person, what looked like a college boy. Kagura was laughing and looking so lively. But then the college boy dipped his head politely and left her. Kagura waved goodbye energetically, still laughing. Something about that laugh made Momiji remain locked into place. The stranger passed by him and bid him a good afternoon. But Momiji said nothing, only stared after him. After the boy had left the Sohma estate, Momiji finally hurried up to Kagura's porch and walked in.

"Who was that?" Momiji asked stiffly.

Kagura turned around from the kitchen sink. "Oh, Momiji? You're here already?" she replied, without enthusiasm. Not even faked enthusiasm.

Momiji dropped his book bag on the counter and repeated himself. "Who was that boy?"

Kagura cocked her head in confusion. "Oh, him? That was Ryuuzaki, from my school. Why?"

Momiji stared at her in horror, as if she had suddenly morphed into some new creature that hailed from Jupiter. Kagura scowled to hide her discomfort and busied herself with making tea.

"Here. Tea," Kagura said when she was done, shoving a cup in Momiji's hands unceremoniously.

"How long has _that_ been going on?" Momiji asked hoarsely, barely even glancing at the tea, even though the cup was burning his fingers.

"Only a few days. Honestly, Momiji. Are you becoming my mom all of a sudden?" Kagura huffed, shuffling in the direction to her room. And Momiji followed her, though he didn't feel like assembling into the usual positions just yet. He lingered in the doorway.

"Stop looking at me like that," Kagura said sharply, even though technically her back was to Momiji and he was no longer really focusing on her anymore anyway.

"But what about—?"

"Momiji!" she finally snapped, and then checked herself when she saw Momiji's forlorn expression. She sighed hopelessly and placed her cup on her nightstand. In the silence that followed, Kagura massaged her temples and searched for the right words to say.

"Momiji," she began, much more softly. "You can't just stand still forever. You have to move at one point . . . I said don't look at me like that. Stop looking at me like I'm a backstabber or something. The fact is, I can't chase after someone who doesn't like me forever, and neither can you. It's impossible to do so without becoming unhappy."

"It's not that simple!" Momiji insisted. "I loved her so much and—"

"Are you implying it was easy for me to give Kyo up because I didn't really love him?" Kagura asked with narrowed eyes.

". . . no."

Kagura moved as if to take a sip of tea, but then she stopped and changed her mind, letting the tip of her pinky circle around the cup's rim instead.

"But what if I still believe Tohru would be happier with me? What if I _know_ it?"

Kagura sighed again and reached for some magazines. "Maybe you should go home, Momiji."

"Kagura," Momiji continued desperately. He fished out his cell phone and showed her the list of emails on the screen. "Look! I keep getting messages from Tohru. They were always so cheerful at first, but now they seem so lifeless and strained. I mean, she hardly says anything, but I can tell. I can tell! Something's wrong with Tohru, and I can't give up on her knowing that."

"That sounds to me like the lonesome imagination of the unrequited lover."

"It's true! Believe me!"

"Momiji, leave or stay. It's up to you. But at the very least, keep it down. I'm reading," Kagura said. And that was that. She barricaded herself behind walls of celebrity gossip and fashion magazines, and she was not likely to say anything else. Momiji stayed for five more minutes, just in case, but then he couldn't take it anymore. Frustrated, he left.

"I'll never give up," Momiji muttered to himself. "I don't care if I'm unhappy."

More than anything, Momiji wanted to remain single and free. That way, if Tohru ever did fall, if something did not work out, he would be there to catch her before she was hurt too bad.

34# "Never Give Up!"


	41. Inspiration

**A/N: **Just a quick drabble to assure you guys that I'm not dead. The first quarter is almost done, so as usual, school's been burying me under tests and projects. Bear with me. 

* * *

17# Inspiration

Tohru sat there obediently, closing her eyes as she listened. The music made her mind wander, but this time, it did not wander into grand ball rooms of energetic dancers, nor did it drift into a peaceful field of flowers. For some reason, Tohru kept picturing herself wearing a white sweater while in a small, white-walled café. She was alone at an empty, white table near the window, and as she sipped her coffee, she watched the gray, snowy world outside. Safe, but longing. Warm, but full of nostalgia. And maybe just a hint of—

"It's sad," Tohru said, almost puzzled, when Momiji finally lowered his violin. "It's so much sadder than what you usually play."

Momiji didn't answer, and Tohru felt a strange sensation of being watched. Her eyes quickly fluttered open, just in time to catch Momiji's heavy, serious expression. A look she was not used to seeing on the happy-go-lucky bunny. But then he shrugged and smiled, lifting his instrument once more.

"I didn't know you had it in you to write sad songs," Tohru remarked.

"Every artist must be flexible," Momiji said. He kept his gaze straight ahead, not looking at anything in particular. "Besides, it's not really all that strange." Momiji's voice caught for a moment, and then he added, much softer, "I've had plenty of inspiration."


	42. Introspection

**A/N:** UGHHHHHH! It's been so LOOOOONG! But I had PROMISED myself not to update with another chapter until I thought of something a little bit more fluffy.

This idea popped in my head this morning while I was walking through school. I was daydreaming about my crush saying this to me, but of course that will never happen. :| So instead, why not relive my fantasies by typing it into a story. Of course, this sounded really cute in my head, but by the time I finished typing it, it didn't seem so great anymore. T-T

* * *

13. Introspection

Momiji knew he shouldn't be ungrateful. There were roughly 127 million people crammed into this country. In just the city alone, there were over 600,000 people. The fact that he was able to meet her was a miracle itself.

But Momiji wanted more. So he went to the same school as her, and that wasn't enough either. So he daydreamed that he was just a year older, or she a year younger, but that still wouldn't be fine. And even if he was lucky enough to be in her class, it wouldn't matter. Because it was simply and physically impossible to be with her 24 hours a day, and he considered that a tragic human flaw. And he was reminded of that flaw every time he saw her from a distance, laughing with friends. Smiling with girls, boys, hotties or crusty old folk. It sometimes drove him up the wall, making him feel like he was missing something. Something vital.

"Tohru!" he declared dramatically as he helped Tohru take out the trash at the hospital. "You're entirely too happy. _All_ the time."

And she responded in the usual, expected way. A cheery laugh and wide smile. "_I'm_ too happy?"

"Yep!"

"What about _you_?"

"That doesn't count."

Tohru shook her head, chuckling. She tossed the trash bag in the dumpster and dusted off her hands, waiting as Momiji followed her suit. "Is it a crime for me to be happy then?"

"Yeesssss!" Momiji whined, leaning against her. "I want you to be **miserable**!"

". . . . . eh?"

Momiji realized how strange he must have sounded, and he flushed a little. Flustered, he waved his hands around in wild gesticulations. "Wh-wh-what I mean to say is, you're always so happy around everyone else. I wish that sometimes you would be sad, and that I was the only person you turned to and cried to and—yeah." Momiji took a deep breath. "Wow that was smooth."

For a few seconds, a rather confused Tohru just stood there, blinking and wide-eyed. But then, some sort of meaning seemed to sink in, for she began to smile warmly. She pecked him on the cheek and said, "That's sweet of you to always want to look after me."

Momiji laughed weakly and scratched his head, blushing. "Ahhh, you think so?" But on the inside, he was thinking, _That's not it at all. I just can't help being jealous. When you aren't truly mine, I can't help but want more._


	43. Unsweetened Tea

**A/N: **This was part of a prompt that I started _ages_ ago but never finished because I didn't like it too much. Actually,I STILL don't really like it, but I finished it due to lack of inspiration for anything else. 

* * *

25# Unsweetened Tea

"Tohru! Tohru!" Momiji cried as he barged into the house. He ran into the living room and spotted Tohru bundled up on the sofa like an Eskimo, pink-faced and shivery. "Tohru! Tohru! I heard you were sick."

"Y-yes," Tohru sighed ruefully.

"It's because you work yourself too hard," Kyo huffed, folding his arms, although Momiji could tell he wasn't really angry or annoyed. He was only worrying in his own way.

"Yes, I'm sorry," Tohru apologized.

Momiji pouted for a bit when her attention was stolen away from him. But then the energetic bunny brightened and hopped over to Tohru. "I covered for you at work, Tohru," he sang.

Tohru flashed a weak smile up at him and thanked him graciously.

Kyo rolled his eyes and headed upstairs to his room. "I'll make you dinner later on," he grunted before disappearing.

Momiji watched him go, feeling slightly relieved and triumphant. Then he asked Tohru if he could get her anything. "Maybe a wet towel to put on your head?"

Tohru chose that moment to sneeze twice and shudder. "Actually, right now I'm more cold than hot."

Momiji sat down on the sofa and cuddled up next to Tohru. "Then I'll keep you warm!"

But to his disappointment, Tohru wriggled in his arms and pushed him away. "I appreciate the thought, but I don't want to get you sick too."

"I don't mind," he said a little too quickly, but Tohru wouldn't back down. Now, standing on his feet a little ways away from Tohru, he let out a dry cough, feeling sheepish. But he quickly rebounded. "Alrighty, Tohru. I'll just make you some tea," Momiji said, already moving to the kitchen.

"Green please," Tohru called before he shut the door.

As Tohru waited, she heard Yuki enter the house. "Yuki, welcome home," Tohru said to him.

Yuki smiled warmly at her. "Still sick?"

Tohru nodded with a pathetic expression on her face. "But never mind that. How did student council activities go?"

In the kitchen, Momiji could hear their voices. He frowned, putting his hands on his hips as he waited for the water to heat up. Yet another person was stealing his Tohru's attention! What nonsense was this? _He_ was supposed to be the prince after all. The handsome prince to the rescue!

"That reminds me, Tohru," Yuki said. He slid his backpack off his shoulder and opened it. "I made copies of today's notes. I tried to be extra meticulous for you, but if there's something you don't understand feel free to ask me."

"Oh! Thank you very much! That was so very thoughtful of—"

"Tea's done!" Momiji declared loudly as opened the door with an energetic kick.

When the door slammed, Tohru jumped with a squeak and accidentally spilled the papers Yuki had given her. "Oh dear."

"Here, I'll get them for you," Yuki offered patiently.

"Yuuuuuki," Momiji scolded as he carefully set the tea kettle on the table. "Tohru's sick! You shouldn't bother the poor girl with _school work_ of all things. No one wants to think when they're not feeling good." He wagged his finger at Yuki, taking triumph in his _obvious_ mistake. "She ought to be resting!"

"It's fine, Momiji," Tohru assured. "As long as I don't get behind in school."

Momiji poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her. Tohru took it gratefully and took a dainty sip, happy anticipation radiating out from her smile . . .

But then she paused, a peculiar look crossing her face. She took another sip, and this time her nose wrinkled. Which was a very cute expression, Momiji had to admit, but he nonetheless felt his heart sinking when he saw it.

"Momiji, are you sure you grabbed the green tea?"

"Of course!"

"It tastes . . . unusual."

Yuki paused in trying to reorganize the notes. He threw them a sideways look and poured himself his own cup of tea. He sipped it and contemplated for a moment before rolling his eyes. "How typical."

"What? What is it?" Momiji asked desperately, wondering what on earth he could have done. After all, who screws up tea? (except for lipton)

"Momiji, do you _really_ put _sugar_ in your green tea?" Yuki asked.

There was a pause. Troubled, Momiji glanced back and forth between Tohru and Yuki. "Don't you?" he replied in a small, confused voice.

In unison, Yuki and Tohru shook their heads.

"Ehhhh? Really? But tea tastes _terrible_ without sugar!" Momiji exclaimed. "My Mutti _always _puts sugar in our tea."

"Yeah, but she's German. Don't most Europeans put sugar in their tea?" Yuki asked wonderingly.

Momiji ignored the obvious stereotyping. He was too busy watching Tohru. She took a couple more sips, but it was painfully obvious that she was only forcing herself to do so out of politeness. And it wasn't long before she firmly set the cup down on the table.

"Besides," Yuki continued, "the sugar pretty much negates its health benefits."

Crestfallen, Momiji desperately tried to reverse the situation.

"Is it true, Tohru? You mean you would never get the urge to drink sweet tea?" he asked with abrupt earnestness.

Slightly confused by the question, Tohru only stammered quiet responses.

"And you would never make green tea with sugar in it?"

"W-well no, I—"

"But what if you married someone who liked sweet green tea?"

"H-huh?"

"What if your husband _adored_ sweet tea? Would you refuse to make it for him every morning? Would you not even make it on his deathbed, when he was old and sickly? All because the tea was unhealthy and disgusting? Would you not even marry him at all? Is the tea that vile to you? Is it? Is it? Is—?"

"Calm down, Momiji," Yuki sighed, silencing the energetic bunny by slapping his head with the stack of papers. "You're being overdramatic. And what happened to giving Tohru rest?"

"Huh? Oh—" Momiji said when he looked back at Tohru. Flushed and dizzy with fever, she looked more dazed than usual as she frantically struggled to think of an answer to Momiji's ridiculous questioning. She looked close to short circuiting.

"Fine," Momiji sighed in defeat, picking up the tea pot. "I'll make another batch." But before he entered the kitchen, he winked back at Tohru. "But I'll manage to convert you one day . . . for the sake of your future husband, of course."


	44. Justice

**A/N: **Yeah, I don't know if Japanese schools really participate in Spirit Week. Actually, I don't know if all of my readers have Spirit Weeks either. (spirit week is a week of dressing up at school. each day has a different theme, and you dress up as the theme. for example, senior citizen day. and the point of spirit week is to see which grade has the most school spirit by participating). But _I_ just had Spirit Week recently, and so I was inspired. By the way, I make a really creepy old lady.

NaNoWriMo starts on Monday. So I'm probably going to be out of commission for most of November. Sorry. :(

* * *

28# Justice

"Momiji-kun!"

Momiji turned around at the sound of his name, and he immediately started to chuckle. Tohru was running over to him, but it wasn't the Tohru he knew. This Tohru wore round, oversized glasses. Her hair (which had miraculously grown gray streaks overnight) was pulled into a tight bun on top of her head. And instead of the normal school uniform, she had donned a traditional kimono.

Tohru finally reached Momiji and beamed up at him. "Spirit Week really is so much fun, isn't it?" she laughed.

Momiji laughed right along with her. "Yeah, it's fun to wear crazy costumes instead of the usual school uniforms."

"I really like yours, by the way."

Momiji looked down at himself. His clothes were more western styled, an old-fashioned tribute to his German heritage. He had also stuffed his outfit with pillows in order to give himself a small beer belly and hunchback. Momiji scratched at his curly, white wig a little self-consciously.

"Really? You like it?"

"Yep!" Tohru replied cheerfully. "Although, I'm not sure if being old really does you justice."

"Funny," Momiji remarked, tapping his chin, where he had drawn in a fake goatee. "I was just thinking that Tohru looked beautiful no matter how old she was."

And it was true, to the boy at least. Even dressed up as an unflattering grandma, Tohru still looked cute and adorable. Perhaps it was in the eyes. The eyes never did change with age.

Tohru flushed at his compliment and bowed a little. "N-n-not at all! But . . . th-thank you very much!" she stammered.

Momiji grinned at her and took her arm in her own. Still blushing, Tohru let him walk her through the hallways, admiring the other costumes before they had to go to homeroom. And as they ambled aimlessly, Momiji started to pretend that they really were old. He spoke to her in a raspy voice, and Tohru played along with her own high-pitched voice. Then they would laugh at their ridiculousness. And for a moment, it was like they had been together for so long, that they had grown old together.

"Wow. They look nothing short of a happily married old couple," Haru, who had chosen _not_ to dress up, remarked blankly from the other side of the hall.

"Doesn't surprise me," Yuki muttered back as he put up flyers for the next student council event. He had also refrained from the aging process. "They act so much like a stupid old couple already."


	45. Sacrifice

**A/N: **Meh . . . I'm sick today. I think I'm coming down with the flu. So I stayed home from school today and was so unbelievably bored that I decided to post another chapter. I thought of this after reading the last volume of Fruits Baskets. Forgive me, I needed a little comic relief to distract me from my illness.

OMG! ONLY FIVE CHAPTERS LEFT AND THEN I'M DONE!

**

* * *

**

6# Sacrifice

_Come on . . . Come oooooon. You're an adult aren't you? You wear pants now, don't you?_

_. . . even though the cutesy clothing was more fun. _

_Am I supposed to be smiling right now? Everyone else is._

_Suck those tears up. Suck them up right now! Be a man!_

_She looks so beautiful in that new dress . . ._

_AUGHHH! My eyes are tearing up again. This is ridiculous! What about all that preparing you did last night? You didn't spend hours coming up with the perfect response to anything she might say for nothing, right? Right? And you promised Haru that you would behave today, and that you would start to look for others out there, right?_

_There are other ditsy onigiri out there . . . hopefully._

_Onigiri or mochi or kartoffelpuffer, it will still be delicious._

"Momiji-kun?"

"Yes!" Momiji exclaimed, finally breaking out of his reverie.

They locked eyes for a moment before Tohru smiled and embraced him tightly. Her flowery perfume wafted in his nose. _Nah, onigiri is more delicious. But . . . but growing up is about making sacrifices anyway!_

"I'm really going to miss you, Momiji-kun," Tohru said sincerely.

"Ah . . . me too. Take care." _Suck it up! Suck it up!_ "And don't ever stop smiling, okay?"

"Yes. And you as well."

She gave Momiji one last squeeze before reluctantly releasing him.

_There. See? Not so bad. That was handled very maturely and adult-like. I'm proud of you. And now she's four steps away from the taxi and you're still holding on._

_Three steps._

_Two._

"TOHRUUUUUU!"

_Nevermind_.

"Tohru! Don't go, don't go!" Momiji wailed as he latched onto Tohru like a little kid.

"Momij—"

"You can't leave us here! Can't you see? It's all an insidious plot by Kyo so he can hog you all for himself."

"What is he talking about?" Kyo sighed as he loaded up the luggage in the trunk. Tohru laughed weakly to the cat and tried to comfort Momiji by running her hands in his blond curls.

"Momiji-kun, you have to let me—"

"WAAAAAAAH! TOHRU!" Momiji cried even harder.

"I'll take care of him," Haru said flatly as he grabbed Momiji and dragged him away.

"You traitor, Haru! IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT FAIR! Why should Kyo have Tohru all the time? TORHU! YOUR PRINCE IS HERE TO RESCUE YOU FROM HIS FIENDISH CLUTCHES!"

"So much for acting like an adult," Rin said as she watched Momiji further throw a temper tantrum.


	46. Boundless Energy

**A/N: **Short, simple, and Christmasy. Do enjoy.

Yay Christmas! Maybe I can get some serious fanfic writing done! Only four more prompts to go!

* * *

**41# Boundless Energy**

The house was noisy as usual. Shigure had offered to through a small Christmas party, especially for the younger of the Sohmas. Everyone was energetic and lively for once, which made Tohru especially happy. There had been too much drama going on as of late. The Sohmas needed a little Christmas cheer.

As she giggled and watched Kisa's face light up at Hiro's Mogeta present, Momiji rolled over to her, dodging the gifts and wrapping paper strewn about. "Tohru, Tohru!" Momiji sang in excitement. "Do you like my new hat?"

Tohru cocked her head at the monstrosity on the blond's head. It was one of those springy mistletoe hats. It jiggled and bounced along with Momiji, who could hardly keep still in all of his excitement.

"It suits you, I guess," Tohru laughed.

"Yep! It's really warm too. And it even plays Christmas carols in your ears."

"Ehh? Really!" Tohru gasped, very much impressed. "I can't belie—"

"I'll show you. Put it on," Momiji interrupted, and he shoved it on her head before she could say a single word.

Tohru blinked in confusion, and then she listened hard. The girl frowned. "I don't hear any—"

Momiji kissed her.

"Oooo! N-n-nee-san! Don't tell me—"

"Aww, gross. Keep it outside. There are children around. This is why you can never turn your back on hormonal teenagers."

The sound of Kisa and Hiro's commentary made Tohru's face light up with flame, and she stumbled backwards. She made a few shocked, flustered gesticulations before clapping her hands to her lips and staring at Momiji wide-eyed.

Momiji only winked at her mischievously. "Caught you under the mistletoe." And he skipped away to grab some more gingerbread men.


	47. Mail

**A/N:** Ughhhhhh! How long has it been? I don't even want to know. Sorry for such a long wait.

* * *

**40# Mail**

It had been found through an accident and the passage of several years' time.

With little Sora in daycare and Momiji off at work, Tohru had decided to roll up her sleeves and clean the house like it had not been cleaned in forever.

And the disorganized mess of a closet had been at the top of her list.

But after attacking it for nearly half an hour, Tohru stumbled across a rather worn, slightly bent out of shape shoebox. Tohru pulled it down from the top shelf of the closet and peered at it curiously. She truly didn't remember seeing it when they had first moved into their house. It was covered in childish, sharpie doodles of bunnies and onigiri. Smiling fondly, Tohru sat down on the floor and carefully opened it.

It was full of letters.

Wide-eyed, Tohru pulled some out and scanned them. She recognized her handwriting immediately. They were her old letters she had often sent Momiji when she was living with Kyo and Momiji was attending a university in Germany. He had saved every single one, even some with the envelope still on. After a little shuffling around, Tohru also found some letters in Momiji's messy scrawl, ones that she had never seen before. They were scraps, rejected attempts that were crumpled up or heavily laced with scratched out words when they became too revealing of his feelings. And though it was wrong and though Tohru bit her lip in guilt, she read through every single letter. The house would have to be cleaned some other day.

She never told Momiji that she had looked.

But when he came home that night, his smile just a little weary at the edges, Tohru rushed at him and hugged him tightly. Momiji laughed it off in his usual way, until he noticed how Tohru avoided looking at him, keeping her head down meekly.

"What's wrong?" he asked curiously, and with great gentleness he lifted her chin up to his face. The light caught in her eyes and revealed the just barely held back tears.

"Nothing," Tohru said. And she smiled. "I just love you."


	48. Games

_**A/N:**_ Aigoooo . . . it's the stereotypical truth or dare scene. I literally feel like I'm dragging myself across the finish line. -_- ONE DAY I WILL FINISH WHAT I STARTED! this i promise.

* * *

**45# Games**

"Alright, my turn. Truth or Dare, Momiji . . . Momiji?" Kisa asked.

Momiji was gazing off in the distance, his mind somewhere else. Of course, Haru was quick to notice that Momiji's line of view fell in near proximity of a certain brunette who was asleep on the couch.

"Momiji!" Kisa said again, waving her hand in front of Momiji's face. This did the trick, and Momiji's attention finally returned. "What's wrong, Momiji? You keep daydreaming."

"Hmm? Oh." Momiji blinked owlishly at his younger cousin before smiling. "Sorry. Being out at the hot beach all day made me tired, I guess."

"_You're_ the one who suggested playing a game," Hiro grumbled. "You were so hyped about it when we first started."

Momiji gave him a good-natured shove. "Yeah? Well that was nearly an hour ago, wasn't it?"

Of course, it _had_ been rather amusing to see Hiro chug a bottle of hot sauce, Kisa try to lick her elbow while simultaneously scratching her ear with her foot, and Haru dance an SNSD dance with clown makeup on (which was still faintly present on his face even now, though he continuously wiped at it with a cloth in vain). Tohru had even joined in the game at first, meekly choosing nothing but truth until Hiro egged her on. After being dared to lick the toilet seat, however, Tohru dejectedly removed herself from the game and watched it from a safe distance.

But now she was asleep. The game had been losing steam for a while now, with everyone running out of ideas.

"So . . . Truth or Dare, Momiji?" Kisa asked.

"Ahhh, truth I guess," Momiji said with a shrug.

Kisa furrowed her brow seriously and thought of a good question. The other three boredly sat around in wait, fidgeting their feet and stifling yawns . . . until Kisa suddenly clapped her hands.

"Oh, oh! I know!" Kisa exclaimed in excitement. "Momiji, do you have anyone you like right now?"

"Yep."

Instantly, Kisa's eyes turned sparkly, the way all young girls tend to do when they start speaking of romance. "Who? Who is it? What's she like?"

Momiji playfully stuck out his tongue. "That wasn't part of the original question. You can only ask one question per turn."

"Ehhhhh? That's not fair," Kisa pouted.

"Yeah, it's sorta understood as part of the question," Hiro said, sounding unusually curious. Or maybe he was just rising to Kisa's defense. "You can't just say you like someone and then not go into details."

"Children, children," Haru sighed, patting both Kisa's and Hiro's head. "One must never pester a man about the one he loves. Yes, yes. Besides, it's obvious that the one he likes is—"

"Haru!" Momiji cried angrily.

Haru looked at the blond with a blank face, but didn't say another word. However, he _did_ glance over to Tohru meaningfully, which made Momiji a little twitchy. When it came around to Haru's turn to ask the question, he looked Momiji dead in the eye and said, "Truth or dare?"

_Pfft! I'm not that stupid. If I say truth, he's just going to get me to say I like Tohru, _Momiji mused to himself. "Fine. I'll pick dare," the blond replied confidently . . .

. . . but all of his confidence melted away when Haru let out a dark snicker.

"Um, Haru-nii-san?" Kisa said nervously.

"You've got a dark aura coming out of your back," Hiro remarked at the same time, scooting a little closer to Kisa.

"Dare . . . huh?" Haru mumbled. "I've got just the dare . . . I dare you to kiss the person you like most."

Momiji's mouth fell open at Haru's dirty trick, but luckily the bunny was saved by the ignorance of youth as Hiro remarked, "What? That's lame! He can't do it if she's not here. Does that mean he gets a freebie?"

"Y-yeah," Momiji stammered weakly. "I can't do it if she's not here."

But instead of swaying Haru, if anything his dark smirk only increased. "Oh, my bad. That's right. Then you can just kiss anyone in this house . . . of the opposite sex of course."

Kisa gasped, her face turning red, and in a flash Hiro had an arm in front of her protectively, glaring at Haru and Momiji. "Touch Kisa and you die. You aren't going to make her do anything she doesn't want to do."

"Haru," Momiji began, but Haru interrupted him, wearing a thoughtfully blank expression.

"Ahhh, nevermind. We can't do that either. Well, the only female left in this house is . . . ."

Momiji gritted his teeth.

Haru pretended to think a little longer before holding a finger up and looking completely serious. "I know. We could dress Yuki up and you could make believe he's a girl."

"Not happening," Momiji said with a wince. "Besides, what's the point of _pretending_ he's a girl?"

"Then the only other choice is—"

"Look, it's obvious the only other girl is Tohru," Hiro snapped at Haru. He was still a little bad-tempered that Haru would even think of letting Kisa kiss Momiji. "Just make him kiss her and let's move on with our lives already."

"Eh? Have him kiss Nee-san?"

Momiji felt his face flush hot. "B-but . . . b-b-but—!" He started to sneak a glance back at Tohru, but chickened out, swallowing thickly. "She's . . . asleep," he defended lamely.

Now even Haru was starting to get bored with the whole matter. He shrugged and leaned back, saying, "Won't that make things easier? Kissing her in her sleep?"

"Well yeah . . . but it feels wrong."

"You know the rules if you skip out on a dare," Haru reminded.

Momiji shuddered. At the very beginning of the game, they had all made it very clear that they weren't going to make the dares ridiculously painful or dirty (considering the two middle schoolers that were playing). But they almost made sure to state that if someone tried to get out of a dare, that person would have to strip down to their underwear and run around the beach in the dark, shouting that Santa Claus was coming to town.

But Momiji was actually starting to consider taking off his shirt when Haru met his eyes. "It's not like kissing Tohru will be that painful . . . and none of us will tell anyone."

Momiji held Haru's gaze a little longer. He understood now. His cousin was only trying to give him a one in a lifetime chance. One little moment of pretend. And Momiji could do it all under the pretense of a dare. There would be no suspicions, no dirty looks. Only a fool wouldn't take this chance.

With a dry mouth, Momiji nodded and said, "Fine. I'll do it."

Momiji turned his back and crawled over to the sofa, trying to ignore the commentary that followed from the two middle schoolers.

"Tch. I can't believe he's actually going to do it. I bet he's secretly a pervert."

"Hiro, Hiro! This is kinda like sleeping beauty, isn't it? It's like Nee-san's a princess or something."

"I think you're getting too excited."

"Hmmm, do you think it could be Nee-san's first kiss?"

"Isn't that kind of horrible though? Having your first kiss taken when you aren't even aware?"

"Oi," Momiji whispered back to the others. "Do you mind . . . do you mind turning around or something?" He winced awkwardly. "I don't know if I could do it with an audience."

Kisa's face fell, but Haru saluted and turned the two kids around, covering their eyes, much to their (or Hiro's) chagrin.

Momiji turned back to the sleeping girl in front of him. He started to reach for her, but quickly changed his mind and wiped his sweaty hands off on his shorts first. He peeked over the couch at her for a long time, stalling.

"It's really quiet all of a sudden," Haru remarked, a little too loudly. "Does that mean you've kissed her?"

Momiji shushed him, hoping that Tohru wouldn't wake up. She groaned and fidgeted a little, and for five horrible seconds Momiji's heart stopped. But he didn't have to worry; she was sound asleep. Actually, she had rolled over in her sleep, facing the back of the sofa so that it was now even _harder_ to reach her. Momiji let out an annoyed breath. Could this get any worse?

"Just to let you know," Haru deadpanned, "You only have one minute before your time limit is up and you default to a punishment game."

"_Since when was there a time limit?" _Momiji exclaimed in a hushed voice. But there was no time left for arguing.

For what was probably the hundredth time, the boy turned back to Tohru and tried again. Awkwardly, he hovered over her, a hand on either side of her, trying his best not to touch her at all. Her skin still smelled of sand and sunscreen from earlier today. Momiji inhaled the smell deeply before holding his breath and diving in.

_Just don't think about it. It's nothing big. This isn't seven minutes in heaven or anything. It's a quick peck. It's just a—_

Momiji kissed the corner of Tohru's lips. He opened his eyes in surprise, and he pulled away. _That really _was_ nothing at all, _Momiji thought to himself. There had been no spark. No burning. Momiji's heart was still thudding, but it was beginning to calm, and this worried him.

_Maybe . . . maybe it's just not as special when the person's asleep._

To make doubly sure, Momiji shifted a little closer so he could get a better angle. This time, he was not as careful about not touching Tohru when he leaned in close. Her body was warm. Her lips were warm—but they were dead. Unresponsive. And suddenly Momiji felt like he was risking himself for nothing.

Then, Tohru twitched underneath him.

Momiji's heart skipped as her lips started to _move _and kiss him back. There was a click sound. Red-faced, Momiji jerked back and clapped a hand to his mouth. He stared at her for a while, but she was still asleep. She had kissed him unconsciously. A soft smile nudged its way on her lips, and without knowing why, Momiji wished he could fall into her dreams.

_Did you know that it was _me_ you kissed? _Momiji asked Tohru mentally. _Or is it some prince charming that you see in your dream?_

A second click interrupted the quiet. Rigidly, Momiji looked over his shoulder at Haru and the kids. Haru had his cellphone up as he admired the pictures he had taken. "Ah . . . these will make good before and after pictures," he deadpanned. And he glanced at Momiji. "Do you want me to tag you on Facebook?"

"HARU!" Momiji cried, jumping to his feet and lunging for his cousin. He bowled him over and started whining at the top of his voice. "Not fair! You never said you were going to take pictures!"

"You exceeded the time limit. This is the punishment game," Haru explained calmly.

"Hand it over! _Haaaaaaa_ru! Come on!"

"No."

"Wahhhhhh!"

* * *

Later that night, within the safety of his dark room, Haru took out his cellphone again and flipped through the photo album. He found the particular picture in question, the one where Momiji kissed Tohru, and half-chuckled when he saw it. After appraising it for a moment, he pressed 'options' and then 'send picture.' Underneath the picture, he typed the text, "Prince Charming kisses Sleeping Beauty," and set it to send to Tohru's cell.

His thumb hovered over the send button for several seconds, but then he shut his phone with a sigh. "Momiji has to win the girl himself," Haru muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. "I'll be damned if I interfere anymore with his little crush."

But Haru did not delete the picture.

It could come in handy later.


	49. Sword and Shield

**A/N:** Long, long time it's been, hasn't it? Holy crap! I only have one chapter left until I FINALLY finish this 50-prompt challenge. I was beginning to think that I would never finish this. Alright you guys, I'm depending on you. You have to hold me accountable to finish the last prompt. My goal is to have this challenge completed before the end of this year. With any luck, I'll be able to update within a month. *crosses fingers*

Anyway, this update is a little different. I couldn't think of a suitable oneshot for this particular prompt for the longest time. And then the other day, I was wandering through youtube, as per usual, when I stumbled across all of the daddy videos. You know, the incredibly mushy, cutesy ones where the dad gets to hold his newborn for the first time. Let me tell you, I have a soft spot for emotional guys, but it REALLY gets me when big strong men get emotional over little tiny babies. Which is why I wrote this. I had already technically done a baby fic for when Tohru and Momiji had their first son, but I wondered if maybe Momiji would act differently if it was a baby girl. Men always seem to fall harder for their daughters, after all. So, enjoy the cavity-inducing fluff. :P

* * *

**8# Sword & Shield**

"Do you think it will be different?" Momiji asked out of the blue to his companion.

Haru looked up from his fifth haphazardly chosen magazine and only grunted before returning to an article about the latest celebrity gossip.

"I'm serious," Momiji said, leaning forward in his chair. He was starting to get antsy in the waiting room. It was taking too long, wasn't it? The first time, Tohru nearly had a problem keeping the baby in long enough for the doctor to prepare the table. Now, it seemed like it was taking hours to get through contractions. The organized cadence of the noises coming from the room behind Momiji made his knees bounce up and down nervously.

"_What_ will be so different?" Haru asked, sighing.

"Well . . . I know it's a girl this time. I know we're going to have a daughter. Do you suppose it's different?"

"What?"

"Having a daughter versus having a son!"

"How would I know?" Haru mumbled, flicking through the magazine, completely underestimating what Momiji considered a very grave matter.

Unable to take it anymore, Momiji got up to walk around. After grabbing a soda from the vending machine, he called the babysitter to make sure Sora was doing okay. Apparently, he had put up quite the fuss when told he had to go to sleep before he could see his new baby sister, but he was sound asleep now. Momiji thanked the babysitter and ran a hand through his hair once he hung up.

Sora was already so eager to become a big brother. Momiji supposed it could have been much worse. At least he would be there for his sister, to protect and take care of her. Well, maybe at 2 and a half years there wasn't much Sora could do yet, but Momiji could help him out until he got older. Show him what it meant to be an older brother.

Maybe if Momiji had been able to grow up with his sister, things would have been different. He might be more sure about his new daughter. But now, he kept agonizing over little details and questions, like what would she like, what kind of games would she want to play, will she be Daddy's Little Girl or grow up to be the spitting image of her mom? How do you handle little girls anyway? There will sure to be more tears, more crying, more boo boos when Sora was always the one to pick himself up and brush himself off without even noticing the blood gushing out of a gash on his knee. Or was Momiji stereotyping his new daughter before she even came out into the world? He wasn't sure, and he wasn't ready. Hell, he and Tohru were still trying to figure out how to properly raise their son. What made them think they could take on a girl now as well?

Feeling slightly queasy, Momiji returned to his seat and nearly downed half of his soda in one go, causing him to choke. As he spluttered and coughed, Haru lowered the magazine once more, the slightest bit of amusement present in the upturn of his mouth.

"I think you're thinking too much about this one," Haru said. He tossed the magazine back carelessly and picked up a new one, this time about home decor. "Just relax, or you'll make both Tohru _and_ the baby worry."

"I guess I just . . . I just don't know what to be," Momiji admitted.

"Of course you do. You'll be her father."

"Well yeah, but is that it? Is that all? Do you have to be something more when you have a daughter?"

Haru shook his head hopelessly. "You are a lost cause, Momiji."

The noise stopped, and then all of a sudden it resumed once more in a terrific clamor. Above it all, Momiji could hear the shrill, small crying of what could only be one person, and he nearly launched himself out of the waiting room chair in eagerness. Haru grabbed his sleeve and held him back down, which elicited quite a few swear words from Momiji until a nurse came to fetch Momiji. Momiji bowed thankfully and followed her inside the room.

"For now, the baby girl will need to sleep on her mother's chest to keep her body heat elevated. But once she's in the clear, we can pass her off to you," the nurse instructed.

"Thank you again. Truly," Momiji said, but it was only a distracted courtesy. For he finally spotted a very sweaty looking Tohru, her eyes all a glow as she held her newborn daughter in her arms. Tohru heard her husband come in, and she flashed him a tired smile.

"I almost wasn't sure if she was _ever_ going to want to come out," Tohru said with a laugh. "No matter how politely I asked. She's a bit strong-willed."

"You did good, love," Momiji murmured, brushing aside her bangs and kissing her on the forehead. Tohru closed her eyes, enjoying the little moment, before adjusting the blanket their daughter was wrapped in, tucking her a little closer. Momiji was disappointed to see that he couldn't really see their daughter's face. She was snuggled up against Tohru's chest, and the pink blanket and hat obscured everything except for one tiny little ear and the curve of a chubby cheek. Momiji longed to snatch his daughter from Tohru, to get a better glimpse at her, but he restrained himself and kept his hands at his side. Calls were made, visitors came, and the room got loud as people crowded around Tohru and clapped Momiji on the back. His little girl slept through it all, miraculously, wanting nothing more than to sleep. Momiji began to see what Tohru meant. When the baby decided to do something, she wouldn't allow anyone or anything to change her mind.

Just when Momiji thought he would never get a chance to see his newborn, the nurse fussed over Tohru and the baby for a moment before offering, "Would the father like to hold his daughter for a moment?"

Not trusting himself to speak, Momiji merely bobbed his head up and down in poorly concealed excitement, sitting down in the nearest chair. The nurse and Tohru chuckled at his enthusiasm, and pretty soon Tohru was gingerly handing the baby off. The nurse passed the little girl to Momiji, and then she was in his arms. All 6 pounds and 2 ounces of her. She was a tiny thing, wasn't she? Much smaller than Sora had seemed, and he had been average, hadn't he?

"H-hey," Momiji mumbled in a hoarse voice, and then flushed in embarrassment. Why was he suddenly so unsure of how to address the little thing?

"Well, what do you think?" the nurse asked, placing her hands on her hips in amusement. "First time you're holding her, how is she?"

"I think Sora's going to be excited when he finds out, huh, Momiji?" Tohru added.

Momiji hardly heard them. He had been tracing the tiny features of his daughter's pixie face when she suddenly sneezed and opened her eyes right up at him. A sigh forced itself from Momiji's chest. His little girl really _did_ look like the spitting image of Tohru. He could already tell from her warm eyes, the tuft of brown hair peeking out from under her hat.

"Momiji?"

"I love her."

The words tumbled out of his mouth before Momiji even realized he was saying them. He somehow managed to tear his eyes away from his newborn and meet Tohru's smile. "I love her," he said again. "She's perfect."

Tohru giggled, and the nurse grinned widely before strolling off to busy herself, clearly entertained.

"You're perfect," Momiji told his daughter. "I love you. I love you so much . . . Oh god." He was losing it. Tears were starting to form in his eyes. Barely even an hour into her life and she already had Momiji wrapped around her finger. How did she manage this? All it took was a lazy blink of her wide eyes and a pursing of her pink lips, and Momiji felt his chest squeeze even tighter. "Tohru . . . she's looking at me. And she's gorgeous. Just like you. Just—" Momiji's voice got caught in his throat in a humiliating hiccupping noise. So he simply kissed his baby girl on the forehead and left it at that.

Haru came in at that moment, and instantly saw Momiji with the baby. He walked over to Tohru, who was beaming like there was no tomorrow. "And he was so worried before," Haru muttered to her, folding his arms. "Look at him. He's such a pro."

"Yes," Tohru agreed, her heart swelling. It had been marvelous to hold her baby girl for the first time, but watching Momiji cradle their daughter so affectionately, so tenderly in his arms, there were no words to describe it. Momiji had his eyes closed as his daughter looked up at him with hers open, watching carefully the giant who held her in his large arms. Tohru could just barely see Momiji's lips moving as he whispered all sorts of promises to the baby girl.

". . . and I will always be there for you," he murmured in a hush. "Daddy will always support you and guide you. I will always be your hero to fight the bad guys, no matter how old or big you get. I will be your sword and your shield. Nothing will put you in harm's way. Nothing will hurt you at all. Because you are my daughter, and I love you so very much."


End file.
